


Jeff The Killer... Is My Best Friend?

by CreepyPastaBoi



Series: The Skeleton's Legacy [1]
Category: Creepypasta - Fandom
Genre: Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-22
Updated: 2018-10-24
Packaged: 2019-08-06 03:04:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 11
Words: 26,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16380212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CreepyPastaBoi/pseuds/CreepyPastaBoi
Summary: You have known Jeff for as long as you could remember. The two of you had been childhood friends before he and his family moved out. After that, the two of you lost contact until he found you three years later. Anyone who saw him now would be scared but to you, this is the same Jeff from your childhood. He was your best friend. Your best friend has developed romantic feelings for you. You feel something for him too but are you willing to admit it, even to yourself?





	1. Chapter 1

I sat in bed and watched the clock that sat on my bedside table. The time read, 11:59 PM. I watched it, rarely blinking. I looked intensely until the clock turned to 12:00 AM. When it did I hopped off my bed, slipped on my sneakers and as quietly as I could, I opened up my window. I was fortunate enough that the house I lived in was only one level. It made sneaking out so easy. I climbed out the window and landed on the grass below with a soft thud. After regaining my balance I stood up and made my way down the dimly lit street. For a child-friendly neighborhood, I lived on a very quiet street with no children. I was thankful for that as I would hate to have a child witness me in action.  
  
I twirled my switchblade in my hand as I walked up the street. At the end was a small park that was designed for young kids but mostly older, good for nothing teens hung out here drinking, smoking and always left behind a mess. At least… they did until a friend and I took care of one of them when he so foolishly went there on his own. What an idiot he was. He went down without a fight, not even a scream. How boring it was to watch him die.  
  
When I arrived at the park I was greeted with a peaceful silence. Some might call it eerie but I found it comforting. I went over to the back of the park where a huge boulder sat in between two tall trees. Behind that was nothing but forest. I sat down on the boulder and looked into the woods. I was looking for any sign of movement, any sounds of a twig snapping or leafs crunching. It took a while, longer than I expected but soon I heard the crunch of familiar footsteps although this time it sounded like the person was walking with a limp. I turned my head in the direction of the footsteps and saw a dark figure approaching. When they stepped out of the forest and into the light from a single lamp I saw that familiar white hoodie, the hood pulled up over the head. The figure reached up and slowly pulled it down and looked up at me. I was greeted with a big smile that was carved into his face and piercing, unblinking stare.  
  
“Hello, Jeff,” I said with a grin.  
  
“Hey…” was his reply as he walked over to me. I moved to one side so he could sit beside me. The rock was so big it could fit three people although it would be a bit snug. He limped over and hoisted himself beside me, all while I gave him a worried look which he noticed immediately. “Oh don’t worry about it. I just tripped but it doesn’t hurt.”  
  
“Are you sure? Do you want me to take a look at it?” I asked. I leaned down and was about to lift his pant leg to check out his injury but he took my hand in his which stopped me in my tracks.  
  
“Trust me, my dear, I am fine.” I looked into his eyes as he held my hand. His piercing blue eyes that never blinked stared into mine. He patted the back of my hand gently and I let out a deep sigh.  
  
“Alright, fine. If you say so...” I scooted close to him and rested my head on his shoulder, all while keeping our hands locked together. A shiver went down my spine as a gust of wind swept past us. I pulled my hoodie tightly around me while Jeff seemed unaffected by the chilly weather. He had been living in old abandoned places for years now with no access to heating or air conditioning so he just adapted to the natural environment around him. I nuzzled closer as the wind picked up and began to shiver all over. Jeff noticed this and let go of my hand so he could wrap his arm around me. I sighed with pleasure as I felt the warmth coming from him.  
  
“Hang in a little longer. He should be here soon.” I nodded against his shoulder. He took much longer than usual. Any other night he would have been here by now. I wondered what was taking so long. After what seemed like forever we began to hear the trees creak and moan behind us.  
  
“It’s about time...” I said with slight annoyance. I normally got mad at anyone who kept me waiting as I was never the patient type of person but considering who this was I couldn’t really get mad. He was our Boss after all. He came and went whenever we wanted and if he wanted to make us wait then he would make us wait. I looked in the forest and soon a tall, faceless figure stepped out. The two of us got off the boulder and stood to attention as he approached. “Hey, Boss.”  
  
“ _Hello children..._ ” He said to us. We heard the chilling voice in our heads. It was how he communicated to others since he was lacking a face. It is also how he scares his victims. He gets into their minds and drives them to insanity before he takes them away to a forbidden place. That is how he has always described it to us. “ _I’m sorry to keep you waiting but my business took much longer than expected._ ”  
  
“Did the victim put up a fight?” I asked with curiosity. No one, no matter how mentally strong, would always break with Slenderman in their heads. No one could resist the “Slender Sickness” as people call it.  
  
“ _Of course not. No one can stand against me. I just decided to have a bit of fun with this particular victim. This person had a nasty habit of violating young women so I had to show him what happens to people like him…_ ”   
  
“I hate men like that…” I said in almost a whisper. It was no secret to either of them that I had a bad history with men. I had never dated anyone but for some reason, I attracted lots of attention despite wearing nothing but baggy clothes. It didn’t seem to matter what clothes I wore, I always had creeps come after me and a few months back, one managed to drag me into a dark alley… Nothing happened as I managed to get away but after I told Jeff what had happened, that man was never heard from again.  
  
“ _Now, let’s talk business._ ” Slenderman’s voice invaded my thoughts before I went down memory lane. I was glad for the distraction. “ _I didn't summon the two of you here to tell you of my latest kill. I have a mission for you._ ”  
  
“It’s about time!” Jeff exclaimed. I jumped at first, surprised by the outburst but when I calmed my heartbeat, I put a hand on his arm to let him know to behave himself. We had recently been punished for going after an unauthorized victim and after a long two weeks, we were finally being allowed back into the field. I wasn't about to let him ruin it.  
  
“Indeed. I was getting so bored sitting at home with absolutely nothing to do.” I said quickly before anything else came out of his mouth. “So who are we going after now Boss?”  
  
“ _I believe you might know him._ ” My head tilted to the side in confusion when he said that. Was he making me go after a friend? Instead of interrupting, I let him continue. “ _The two of you might remember a gang of troublesome teens that used to gather in this very park. Do you recall a certain Jason Carlson?_ ”  
  
“So we’re going after one of the assholes you told us to leave alone?” Jeff said with attitude clear in his voice. I wasn’t the only one who picked up on it as Slenderman snapped his head towards Jeff.  
  
“ _Yes. You are. However, you won’t be the one making the kill._ ” We stood in shock for a moment. For as long as we have been partners in crime, Jeff always made the kill. I just helped track and corner the victim but he was the one who finished them off. “ _You are going to let your partner make their first kill._ ”  
  
“What? Why? I’m the strong one! I should be the one to do it just like I’ve always done!” I could tell that Jeff was on the verge of exploding now. He loved to kill. He loved the feel the knife dig into human flesh. It pleased him while I was happy to just stand back and watch. It’s how it has always been for us and until now, Slendy never said anything about the arrangement.  
  
“Jeff, calm down.” I gave his arm a slight squeeze to keep him in check then turned my attention back to Slendy. “After all this time you never said anything about the way we conducted our business. What matters is that we got the job done so why the sudden change?”  
  
“ _If you are to continue being my proxy then you will need to make a kill for me. Jeff has made countless kills whereas you haven’t even so much as hurt someone. You need to toughen up and do your job._ ”  
  
“Boss, I don’t think they are ready-”  
  
“ _Silence! That is not for you to decide. I make the decisions around here and I do believe they are fully capable of taking a life. They just need to prove it. Can you do that?_ ” Slendy asked as he turned to face me. From the corner of my eye, I could see that Jeff was also looking at me, waiting for my response.  
  
“I’m ready and I want to take on this task. I will prove that I am a worthy Proxy to you.” I said, standing tall and proud. Even though Slendy didn’t have a face I could tell from the aura he was giving off that he was pleased by this. Sensing auras had been a skill of mine for as long as I could remember. Not many people had this skill and if they did, it wasn’t as strong as mine. It was almost like a superpower. It was very useful when Jeff and I went on missions as I could detect just how hostile a target was or if anyone was watching us.  
  
“ _Good. Jeff, I will allow you to accompany them but you must stay back, no matter what. Do you understand?_ ” We looked over at Jeff who had his arms crossed and looked very displeased. When he didn’t give a response Slendy grabbed his hood and gave it a rather harsh tug causing Jeff to look up at him. He meant business. “ _Do you understand?_ ”  
  
“Whatever.” I could tell Slendy was done with his attitude and honestly, I was too.   
  
“ _Good._ ” With that, Slendy threw Jeff to the ground and vanished. I rushed over to him and helped him into a sitting position.  
  
“You really should drop that attitude of yours, Jeff. One of these days he won’t be so forgiving.”  
  
“Whatever, I’m not scared of him...” I sighed as he stood up. He was never going to change. I watched as he went back over to the boulder, sat down and pulled out a cigarette and lighter. Again, I sighed and went to sit beside him. I never approved of his smoking or drinking but I couldn’t stop him.  
  
“Jeff, why is this bothering you so much? It’s just a kill. You do this all the time.”  
  
“No! It’s not just a kill. You are taking another person’s life. It’s not as easy as you think.” Jeff threw the cigarette to the ground and jumped off the boulder, one foot landed on it and he stomped it out. Something inside of him seemed to snap. For whatever reason, he seemed angry but I also detected some concern in his voice. “You aren’t ready for something like this... You are just a regular person who can’t possibly handle something like this…”   
  
“If you can do it then so can I,” I said in a soft, comforting voice and went to stand beside him. “I made my choice when I went to Slendy and asked to be a Proxy. I knew what I was getting into and I expected to kill from day one but thanks to you, I never got the chance. Slendy has allowed you to accompany me so if anything should go wrong then you will be there to protect me, just like you have always done. Ever since we were kids you have been by my side, looking out for me. I know nothing will go wrong but if it does then I have you.” When he turned to face me I wrapped my arms around his torso and squeezed him just tightly enough to reassure him. I felt him return the hug just as tightly and for a long time, we just stood there in each other’s arms.


	2. Chapter 2

After we parted from the hug we said our goodbyes and went our separate ways. I watched him dart off into the forest and when he vanished from my sight I made my way back home. Once I arrived at my small house I climbed in my window which I made sure was shut and locked as instructed by Jeff. He worried too much. The only killers in the area were him and a few other Proxies who were all my friends. No harm would come to me but once he made up his mind there was no changing it so I just obeyed him.

When I was safely inside my room I went over to my bookshelves and looked through my yearbooks until I found the most recent one. I pulled the book off the shelf then went to my bed and got settled in. I got comfortable then turned on my phone flashlight and flipped through the pages of the yearbook, looking for Jason. I didn’t really know anything about him except that he was a troublemaker and liked going after pretty girls. It was people like him that disgusted me. They didn’t care about anyone’s feelings and went after the girls for sex. Gross.

As I looked through the book I noticed that he was involved in a lot of school activities which actually surprised me. He came off as the type of guy who stayed behind the school smoking or out at parties all night rather than being in clubs and doing volunteer work. Interesting… Even if he did join in on _some_ school activities, it didn’t mean he was a good person. I continued flipping through the pages and eventually came across his class picture. I got quite a shock to learn that he was in the same grade as me. For some reason, I thought he was at least a year older than me. Not only that but I paid so little attention to him that I never recalled ever seeing him in any of my classes throughout the years. Maybe he stayed in the back of the class or just never attended. The latter seemed the most plausible to me given what I knew about him, and that I have seen him trashing the park on multiple occasions. 

I reached over at my night table and felt around for a bit until I found what I was looking for; a red Sharpie. I popped the cap off and underlined Jason’s name. A smirk quickly grew on my face as I stared at his picture. He was going to be my first kill. Two years as a Proxy and finally it was time to prove myself to the Boss. I was a bit nervous as I had never even killed so much as an insect before but I guess there was a first time for everything. There was nothing to worry about. I was going to have Jeff by my side should anything go wrong but I had a feeling everything would go according to plan. Slendy didn’t say how long we had until we needed to report in but I assumed it was the same as our previous hunts which were no longer than two weeks.

After I finished looking through the yearbook I put it on my night table, turned off my phone flashlight and attempted to sleep. I was going to need it as it was a school night but I just couldn’t seem to settle down. I couldn’t tell if it was because I was nervous or excited at the thought of taking the life of another human but no matter how I felt I had to do it. I had seen Jeff slaughter many people without hesitation numerous times before. If he could do it then so could I, right? I felt like I struggled for hours until I finally drifted off to sleep.

**...The Next Morning...**

I woke up to the sound of my annoying alarm clock which I silenced immediately by slamming my hand down on the button. After that dreadful sound was over I flopped on my back and let out a long, deep sigh. Today was another day of boring school. I gave myself a few minutes before I got up and ready for the day. I was tired from last night but I knew I would be able to make it with a nice big cup of coffee so after getting ready I dashed to the kitchen to make the nectar of the gods, as I liked to call it. The whole process felt like it took forever but when my coffee was ready I wasted no time in taking a nice long sip. I was going to need this if I was going to do well in school today and spy on Jason.

If I was going to succeed on this mission then I will need to know everything I can learn about him, about his habits and his schedule so I can determine the right time to strike. I would also need to learn about any fears he might have as that could be useful information or if he had any skills in self-defense. That was definitely something I needed to know as that would determine how I would finish him off. If I was lucky he could be scared of spiders or snakes and all I would need to do I get my hands on one to make him freeze which would give me the opportunity to strike and kill. I saw Jeff use this technique more than once and it was quite effective although he only used it if he had been injured on a previous hunt and didn’t have his full strength. With this being my first I couldn’t risk failure so a bit of unfair play couldn’t hurt. It's not like Slendy cared how we got the job done.

After I had everything I would need for the day I said bye to my parents who had just woken up and left the house. The moment I stepped outside I groaned when I was met with a bright, sunny day. I am the type of person who prefers dark, cloudy days and because of that my whole family keep making vampire jokes. Even Jeff made them on occasion. I pulled my hood up over my eyes and began the long walk to school. My town was fairly small compared to other places but it was big enough that the walk to school took roughly twenty minutes. I suppose I could have taken the bus but my parents really encouraged me to walk, saying that it was good for my health.

As I walked on to a somewhat isolated street I heard footsteps behind me. I stopped walking and listened carefully. I was about to panic, thinking that I was being followed but the aura I was picking up was very familiar. There was nothing menacing about it. I turned around I smiled when my eyes fell on the boy with the white hoodie. “Hey Jeff, what’s up?”

“Hey,” he replied rather bluntly and jogged over to me. “So... Do you have any classes with this kid?”

“Why do you assume he is in my grade?” I playfully nudged him but he kept a gloomy look on his face.

“I know he is. I looked through your yearbooks.”

“What? When did you do that?” I was shocked, to say the least. It had been months ever since he told me to start locking my windows and ever since then I had been very diligent about it.

“I snuck into your room about a year ago and out of curiosity I looked at the yearbooks on your shelves.” At this point, I was starting to grow concerned about him. This wasn’t his usual self. Ever since last night, he seemed to be different. 

“I am amazed that you remembered after a whole year. You are so impressive!” I tried once again to lighten the mood and with one hand I gave his upper arm a friendly punch. Again, that didn’t work. “Alright Jeff, what’s going on?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You know exactly what I’m talking about. This isn’t the normal you. What has you so down?” We looked at each other and for a long time, neither of us said anything. I was smart enough to leave an extra thirty minutes early so I had plenty of time to wait for his answer. However, when he refused to talk I stomped over to him and since he was taller than me, I grabbed the collar of his hoodie and yanked him down to my height. I looked right into those bright blue, unblinking eyes and demanded that he answer me.

“ **Fine.** You know what, you’re right. There is something that has been bothering me. It’s our mission.”

“What about the mission has you so worried? It’s just like all of the other ones we’ve done.”

“No...No it’s not...It’s not because...this time I won’t be the one who does the killing...” He pulled himself free from my grasp and turned his whole body away from me.

“Jeff..?” I asked as I carefully approached him. Why did this bother him so much? It was just a small kill. Something he did all the time. “Love, look at me, please.” My pathetic sounding voice worked like a charm as he turned his head to face me. I even added a little pet name to grab his attention. It worked every time.

“I just don’t want this to mess you up...” The tone of his voice was enough to break my heart. His voice was soft, much softer than I thought he was even capable of and even cracked as he spoke. Even before he killed his family and lost his sanity I had never known him to be this sad and pathetic before. 

“What are you talking about? This isn’t going to mess me up.”

“You don’t know that... Taking a life... It’s something that will haunt you for the rest of your life...My first kill... I still remember it... And all the kills after that... I just don’t want you to be haunted by the memories...”

“Jeff... I appreciate that you want to look out for me but we aren’t kids anymore. This is our life now and sooner or later I knew I would have to...you know... So I had time to mentally prepare myself. I know I can’t predict how I will feel in the moment or afterward but I do know that I’m not scared to do this.” It took a while but eventually, he nodded then held up an arm towards me. I went over to him and he pulled me into a hug accompanied by a kiss on the top of my head.

“Thank you for keeping your promise and continuing to look out for me. It means a lot but at some point, you need to let go.”

“Right...”

“Don’t worry Jeff, I’ll be just fine.” I looked up at him and gave my best smile. This seemed to offer a bit of reassurance but knowing him he was still going to worry about this until the time came for me to prove myself. With this attitude of his, the next two weeks would go by really slowly…

After saying goodbye, Jeff ran off in the direction of the woods and I turned around and continued my walk to school. When I was about halfway there I began to get a strange feeling. It was almost as if I was being watched but when I looked around I didn’t see anyone. I looked in every direction but didn’t see anything or even anywhere a person could hide. Perhaps it was one of the Proxies. It was quite possible Jeff told BEN or maybe even E.J to follow me and make sure I got to school safely. He was a big worry wart. Ever since we reunited after nearly three years he kept fussing over me and had to make sure I was safe at all times which got him in trouble with the Boss on more than one occasion. 

I decided to shrug off this feeling and kept walking. If it was another Proxy then there would be no point in trying to call out to them as Jeff probably wanted them to stay out of my sight. Maybe I should ask BEN later if he was the one who was instructed to follow me this time. Since he was Jeff’s best friend it made sense for him to go to BEN first. He would trust him before anyone else when it came to my safety.

“Jeff you worry too much.” I chuckled to myself. I made sure to say it loud enough that if BEN was following me then he would hear it and hopefully pass on the message to Jeff.


	3. Chapter 3

I got to school a little later than I expected but I was still quite early. The feeling of being watched the whole way there had me really creeped out. It didn’t feel silly or even playful which would have been the aura BEN would give off if he was the one watching me. This aura… It felt dark and unfriendly. The whole walk to school I kept trying to spot the mysterious person but I had no luck. Whoever this was, they were really good at hiding which made it seem like the only possible option was BEN or Jack. No regular human could be this good. Unless they had practice, which was a frightening thought...

I shook off the thought of having a possible stalker and made my way to my locker to collect my books. Even if it was a human following me I knew there was nothing to worry about. Jeff would protect me, just like he always has. I opened my locker and got the textbook I needed for the first class of the day. When I pulled it from the shelf I noticed a folded piece of paper fall and I caught it before it hit the ground. ‘ _Strange..._ ’ I thought as I unfolded it but my confusion was quickly replaced with fear. Scrawled on the paper were the words: 

**I’M WATCHING YOU**.

I _was_ being stalked! I took a close look at the handwriting and didn’t recognize it. I wanted to believe that this was just another Proxy messing with me for the fun of it, E.J came to mind… but I didn’t recognize the handwriting. It had to be someone I didn’t know, or at least not very well. It was very possible this person even went to this school as they had been able to slip the note into my locker. As discretely as I could, I looked around the hallway and as I did I noticed a shadow dart quickly behind a corner only a few years away from me. I froze. So that was the person who most likely followed me here. “Hello..?” My voice was shaky as I called out. Perhaps it was crazy to try and talk to a possible stalker but I was in school so I felt fairly safe. Not only that but if I was going to be a Proxy then nothing could scare me. 

When I didn’t get a response I shut my locker and slowly made my way to the spot I saw the shadow. I cautiously peeked around the corner but I didn’t find anyone. They must have taken off when I called out to them. I guess I wouldn’t be confronting them anytime soon. I decided to forget about it for now and just go to my classroom which is exactly what I did. For the rest of the day, I was so busy with my work that I completely forgot about the chilling note. I even forgot about my mission for a few classes until it hit me suddenly at lunch. 

I quickly finished up my food then looked around the cafeteria for any signs of Jason. I wasn’t too surprised when I didn’t see him. He was probably outside smoking with his pals. Since I didn’t really have any friends or people I talked to on a regular basis it was easy for me to slip away undetected. I made my way outside and walked around the whole school searching for the group of troublemakers. It didn’t take long until I found them behind the school and as I suspected, they were smoking. I couldn’t believe that no one has snitched on them or that no teacher had seen them yet.

I kept my distance and sat down on a bench that was far enough away to not cause suspicion but close enough for me to listen to their conversation. When I sat down I pulled out my sketchbook and resumed my latest sketch. Hopefully they wouldn’t suspect anything. I was focused on my artwork but every now and then I would look up to observe their body language and to listen in on what they were talking about which wasn’t interesting to me. It was just as I thought; they were talking about parties and which girl they wanted to go after. Gross. Although I noticed that Jason hardly said anything. He just stood there, listening to his friends.

As I sat on the bench a familiar sensation appeared. The feeling of being watched returned. It was the same aura my follower was giving off. I looked up from my sketchbook and noticed that Jason himself was looking right at me. Glaring would be a more appropriate description. I felt like he was looking right into my soul. It sent shivers down my spine. What was his problem? I only started watching his every move so he couldn’t be on to me. I went back to focusing on my drawing but the feeling of his eyes on me never went away.

Eventually, the bell rang and the group put out their cigarettes and made their way back to class. I packed up my things and did the same. I sighed. I didn’t get any useful information from that conversation. What a waste of time. As I made my way to class I kept looking around for my stalker but I still didn’t see anyone. I needed to bring this up to Jeff when I saw him next. This was distracting me from my job and if there was one thing Slendy hates, it is distractions. 

After school, I sulked on the walk back home. I saw Jason a few more times, in the hallway as we passed but still, I got nothing. Oh well. It was the first day of the mission after all. I shouldn’t have expected to get much. I was getting too excited. What I needed to do was to calm down and take things slowly.

I got about halfway home when I realized something. I didn’t get the sensation of being watched. How strange… No stalker would give up, especially when they found a new target. If this person did attend the same school it would mean they were probably a student and therefore had an after-school activity. At least I was able to walk home in peace...

... _Later That Night_...

The moment my clock hit midnight I snuck out of the house and made my way to the park. I was a bit nervous about the stalker so instead of walking, I jogged my way there. Hopefully, whoever was following me was in bed at this hour but one could never be too careful. Once at the park I sat on the usual boulder and waited. It didn’t take long until I heard the crunching of leaves in the forest and soon, Jeff appeared. I didn’t even give him time to say anything before I ran right into his arms. 

“Hey, what’s wrong?” He asked. I could tell that he was concerned, maybe even a little worried.

“Jeff... Did you ask BEN or someone to follow me around today…?”

“No, why? Wait, are you being followed?” He pulled back from the hug and rested his hands on my shoulders while looking down at me. I simply nodded and in response, he looked around us. “Do you feel them watching you now?”

“No...I did on the way to school and even during school but there was nothing on the way back home...” I explained. “I was thinking that maybe they are another student...or maybe even a teacher but that doesn’t sound too possible. And there is this...” I pulled the note I found out of my pocket and handed it to Jeff. He took it and studied it. I hoped that maybe he would recognize the handwriting on it but unfortunately he didn’t either. So this person was a complete stranger to the both of us. Maybe Slenderman would know but I didn’t want to bother him with something like this. He would probably tell us to handle it ourselves or wait it out. 

“I think tonight, and for a while, I’m going to walk with you. I don’t want this guy to get a chance to do anything.” He crumpled up the paper but instead of throwing it to the ground like I thought he would, he put in his pocket. Probably to keep it so we could compare the handwriting if we found a possible suspect. 

“What are you going to do during the day? You can’t be seen by anyone.”

“Don’t worry. I will stay back and watch you from a distance and if I find this guy I’m going to kill him.”

“ _I wouldn’t do that if I were you..._ ” The familiar voice made us pause. He was here early. We looked at the woods and soon the tall figure appeared before us and already I could tell that he was annoyed with Jeff. What a great way to start a meeting. 

“Look, Boss, I don’t care about your stupid rules. It is my job to protect-”

“ _No Jeff. Your job is to listen to me and I haven’t given you permission to go after this person. You have a mission already so focus on that instead._ ”

I stopped Jeff before he could say anything else that would land him in hot water, again... “I wasn’t exactly planning on going after this person... At the very least I want to know who it is as I feel uneasy... The whole feeling of being watched all day has been distracting me from my real job...”

“Boss please, let me take care of this.”

“ _No. However, I can’t have anyone distracted... I will have someone look into the matter..._ ” Slendy turned his featureless face towards me. “ _You, ignore the feeling of someone watching you and pay attention. It will be taken care of. Alright?_ ”

“Alright…”

“ _Good. Jeff, stay out of it or there will be consequences. Am I clear?_ ”

“Whatever...”

“Jeff...” I said in a warning tone. I could feel Slendy growing angry at him and he probably wanted nothing more than to tear him to pieces right there and then but I couldn’t let that happen. “Don’t worry Boss, he understands and if he doesn’t then I will make him.” I gave Jeff and warning glare as I said the last part. Judging from the look on his face he could tell that I was serious.

“ _Very well... I trust that you will keep him in check..?_ ”

“Yes sir, I shall.”

“ _Very good. Now, have you found out anything about your target?_ ”

“Not really...” I was almost ashamed to admit it but he couldn’t expect me to get much on day one. “I overheard a conversation with his friends and all I got out of that was which pretty girl they were planning on going after. I have a feeling they will be going to a party that is being hosted by a fellow classmate this upcoming Friday. The girl they are after is invited to every party in town. She is what one would call, a popular girl.”

“ _It is worth checking out and if he should be there, then lure him out and finish him off._ ”

“I will.” Slenderman nodded to the both of us before vanishing. After he was gone I turned to Jeff. “Jeff, why can’t you just listen to him for once in your life? Oh, and also drop that attitude of yours. Not only does it piss him off but lately it has been pissing me off as well.”

“I just want to keep my promise and protect you, is that so wrong?”

“No, in fact, it's sweet but you still need to listen to the Boss.”

“Whatever... Come, let’s get you home and we can talk about a possible plan to get you to that party.” I wanted to argue with him about walking me home as we could have easily made plans at the park and I certainly didn’t need a protector but I was too tired to do so. Even if I didn’t feel like I needed a bodyguard I supposed it couldn’t hurt. I didn’t know anything about my stalker. As far as I knew, he could be a football player which would mean he was strong. Jeff didn’t look like it but he could easily take down anyone, even an athlete. His advantage was his speed and agility. 

The two of us walked back to my house in relative silence. He took the time to cool off from the conversation with Slendy while my mind still lingered on the thought of being followed. When we reached my bedroom window he lifted me up to give me a boost. I didn’t really need it as I was fit enough to climb just about anything but who was I to argue with my best friend. After I was in he followed and went to sit on my bed. I sat next to him and together we made a plan. If Jason didn’t attend the party then we would be back at square one but my gut told me he was going to be there. If his buddies were going to peruse some poor girl then he would go too. The gang was as thick as thieves.


	4. Chapter 4

The rest of the week went by rather quickly. During that time I was able to learn of Jason’s habits and found that he stayed after school on most days as he was in the robotics club. It was quite strange. He didn’t strike me as the type of person who was into that kind of thing as most of the kids in robotics were classified as “the geeks”. Sometimes, if they were hanging out together during school they were referred to as “the geek squad” by none other than Jason’s group of friends. I wondered how he kept his involvement with the robotics club a secret from his group of “friends”. Also from what I have seen, he seemed to be on good terms with everyone else in the club. I wondered if he lied to them and claimed that he only fakes being friends with those bullies or maybe that whole thing was just an act… Anyone who wasn’t friends with them got picked on every day so maybe he joined to avoid that… With him, I wasn’t sure what to think.

Slendy seemed quite pleased with the information I gathered in the last few days. Hearing that boosted my confidence however when it came to Jeff... Well... He was still against the whole idea of me killing Jason. I know he made a promise to keep me safe but we aren’t children anymore... I just want to know what is going on in that twisted mind of his...

I reached home safely after school, thanks to Jeff and quickly went to my bedroom. There, I locked the door and quickly opened my window and let Jeff inside. It was super risky to have him visit during the day but we had to go over the plan as this night was the night of the party. Luckily for us, my mother was asleep and my father would be at work late again. 

“So, you remember the plan?” Jeff asked as he plopped down on my bed.

“Totally and I am so ready. The party is said to start at seven-thirty so we will go at around eight-thirty when it gets dark and busy.” I replied and sat facing him while holding the yearbook that I had picked up off my desk. 

“Yeah and by then I am willing to bet that most people will be quite drunk. Teens who like to party don’t waste time in getting hammered. This will work to my advantage because everyone will be so drunk that even if they do notice me there, they won’t have any memory of it the next day.”

“From what I have learned from following Jason around he isn’t that big of a drinker but hopefully tonight he will have at least a few drinks. I just need him wasted enough for me to lure him away without suspicion.” I had opened up my yearbook to the random page where I kept my notes on Jason. On the paper, I had written everything I learned about him which included his habits and schedule for the whole week. “And as our backup plan, if tonight fails then we will go after him tomorrow when he is at his father’s house.”

“Right, and luckily for us, his father is an alcoholic who is at the bar most of the time so it would just be a matter of breaking in.” Jeff then leaned towards me. His face was so close I could feel his warm breath against my face. We were so close that I couldn’t stop my face turning a bright shade of red. “Whatever happens, I want you to promise me that nothing will go wrong tonight.”

“Of course... but why are you saying this? You will be with me too... right?”

“Unfortunately no...” He pulled back and leaned against the headboard of my bed, his arms crossed in a pout. “The Boss said that he didn’t want me to interfere and possibly kill him if I felt things weren’t going according to plan. On the bright side, I guess, he did agree to let E.J watch in the distance.”

“Well knowing you Jeff, you would jump out and stab him if you felt I was in the slightest amount of danger. I think Slendy was right to remove you from the situation.” At this, Jeff snapped his head in my direction. That was definitely something he didn’t want to hear. “You have to admit, you are too protective over me Jeff. This is my hunt and Jason is my kill. I can’t have you doing my work for me. I have already gotten this far on my own and I need to prove myself to Slendy.”

“Whatever...” Again with the attitude! After this was over he is so going to get an ear full from me! Now I know how my parents felt when I was just starting puberty... 

“Well, at least you can take comfort in knowing that E.J will be there...” I said, trying to change the mood but it didn’t work. Jeff was still pouting. 

“Jack is useless. He can’t protect you. It’s not his job.”

“It isn’t yours either, Jeff!” I scooted close to him, grabbed his hoodie and pulled his face close to mine and looked into his wide, unblinking eyes. “Yes, you made a promise to me but that was years ago! How many times do I have to repeat myself? Listen to me Jeff, I get that you want to keep me safe but I am my own person and I want to be able to defend myself in small cases but I won’t be able to do that if you keep hovering!”

I had never seen Jeff so shocked before. Nothing came out of his mouth after that. What he did do was rather harshly pull away from me, got up from the bed and left the way he came. He jumped out the window and I could hear the soft thud on the grass as he landed. I quickly followed him, I wanted to call out but he was too fast for me. By the time I got to the window, he was already gone. I sighed in defeat. What goes on in that mind of his? I shut the window and made sure it was locked before getting ready for the party. 

... _Hours later_...

I picked the best outfit I could find in my closet. I didn’t really have any trashy outfits like most people my age but what I had would do. At least I wouldn’t look out of place. After I was satisfied with my look I checked my phone and saw that it was almost eight-thirty. It was time to go. By this hour my mother had already gone to bed and my father wouldn’t be home until eleven. I decided to slip out the door to the mudroom as dad never went there so he wouldn’t be looking to see if it was locked or not. If I went out my window he would go into my room to question me as to why it was so open late at night. Tonight was going my way so far. Hopefully, things would continue this smoothly.

I quietly left through the side door and made my way to the house where the party was located. It was a bit far to walk as it was on the edge of town and deep in the forest. At least I was getting a workout although it was during the walk I wished I had a car. It would have made the journey a lot faster. I arrived at the house close to nine and I could hear the music all the way down the long driveway. I never understood why people, mainly teenagers like parties with loud music. I just knew I was going to get a headache if I stayed in for too long. Oh well, I didn’t have time to worry about that.

I walked up to the house and as I approached I decided to go in the back door. The front was rather crowded and I knew people would start asking me what I was doing there. The last thing I wanted was to bring unwanted attention to me. As I walked around the house I looked around me. I was looking at the house to see if anyone saw me through the windows and looking around to see if Jack was nearby. I couldn’t see him but I did feel the sensation of being watched so he must have been around somewhere. It had to be him as the aura I was picking up was a friendly one. It wasn’t my stalker watching me this time. That put my mind at ease. At least I would have back up in case I needed it. 

I got to the back door and found that it was wide open and not too crowded. Good. I was easily able to slip in without anyone really noticing me. Once I was inside I looked around for any signs of Jason or his friends. I couldn’t find them but I suspected that if I found a group of pretty girls they wouldn’t be too far away. As I looked around I saw where the drinks were so I decided to grab a bottle of beer so I wouldn’t stand out which is what I did. I took small sips as I wandered around, looking for the target. As I looked I was quite shocked when no one tried speaking to me as I wasn’t invited but at the same time, I was glad that I was being left alone. 

I eventually made my way to the basement where I found the jocks playing beer pong. Great. They were all screaming as someone scored a point or whatever it was and they were all jumping up and down like excited toddlers. How on earth those guys made it to high school was far beyond me. The basement was separated into multiple rooms and I happened to find one that was completely empty and silent. I quickly went in and shut the door behind me, letting out a deep sigh as I leaned against the door. ‘ _It’s so loud out there...._ ’ I thought to myself.

“What are you doing here?” I looked up and searched for the source of the voice. I knew that voice. I spotted a male student sitting on a couch that was tucked away in the corner of the room. It was Jason. 

“O-Oh! Well… a classmate invited me to the party so um...yeah I thought I would check it out...” Smooth... He looked at me a bit confused as everyone knew I was the last person to attend a party but he seemed to believe me. 

“So are you enjoying yourself?”

“Honestly, not really... I knew it was a mistake to come here... No one is really talking to me... Except you that is...” I wanted to punch myself at that moment. To gain his trust to get him away I acted like a shy girl trying to talk to her crush. I hated it. I felt vulnerable but I could see that Jason had perked up. 

“How about I take you elsewhere? I can show you a good time.” He said seductively and approached me much like a predator after its prey. This was way out of character for him. Perhaps he was already wasted but it didn’t matter. This just made it easier for me. I just had to put up with him for now.

“Really?” I replied, just as seductively. I allowed him to run his hands over my body and to entice him I thrust my hips against his. This was a bit of a mistake on my part as I could feel that he was already a bit… “excited”… He let out a groan in response then wedged his hips between mine for more friction. This made me let out a gasp which he must have taken for arousal but it was far from it. I just had to play along for just a little longer… I did my best to seem into it when he began to move his hips against mine and even let out some small moan when he began kissing my neck. Now that was a new sensation. If it was from someone I loved then it would have been enjoyable but this just felt weird. 

“I need to be honest... I’ve had my eye on you for a while now and with the way you’ve been looking at me I would say you feel the same.” He said against my neck. His hot breath sent chills down my spine, and not the good kind either…

“Jason darling, I am in **love** with you. I’m disappointed that you didn’t see that sooner. I have been craving your touch~” Oh god, I wanted to vomit. What was I even saying? I looked up at him and saw a wide grin on his face. He leaned his face down, about to kiss me but there was no way I was going to have my first kiss like this. I turned my head away and his lips planted on my jaw. He pulled away, perhaps a bit confused but I didn’t give him time to ask any questions. “Now, are you going to keep that promise of taking me somewhere else or not? I really don’t want to do anything where someone can walk in on us at any moment.”

“Hmm... You’re right. You can come back to my place. No one is home.” I nodded eagerly which caused him to smirk. Poor boy, he was thinking that tonight would be his lucky night but it was far from it. I let him lead me out of the basement and away from the house. I guessed his house was beside this one as he took me to the forest instead of down the driveway. Perfect. He was in the lead, holding on to my arm with a rather tight grip as we walked. I discreetly slipped my pocket knife out of my pocket and managed to open it with one hand. As I did, I looked at Jason with a devilish smirk on my face.


	5. Chapter 5

All that could be heard in the quiet forest was the crunching of twigs under our feet. We had finally gotten far enough away from the party that the music could no longer be heard. My knife was out and the blade gleamed in the moonlight. It was so easy. Jason was facing away from me and very drunk. All I needed to do was knock him on the ground and plunge the knife into his neck but for some reason, I hesitated. I felt like I couldn’t do it. Why? I barely knew him. It’s not like his death would have any effect on my life. Could it really be that I was somewhat attracted to him? He definitely liked me. How heartbreaking, to be killed by your crush... I shook the thought from my head. No. I needed to do this. It was my job. I couldn’t let these imaginary feelings get in the way. I didn’t like him. And even if I did it was probably a crush that would go away in a few weeks anyway. 

**I made my move.**

I yanked my arm out of his grasp which caused him to stumble due to the amount of alcohol in his system. I saw him about to turn around which is when I made my move. I couldn’t let him face me. If I saw his face I knew I wouldn’t be able to go through with this mission. It was now or never. With a rush of adrenaline, I charged towards him and brought the knife down to the side of his neck. I yanked it out and heard him choke on his own blood. He spat some of the red liquid out and it ran down his chin. I watched as his body turned to face me as he fell. He collapsed on the forest ground with a thud. Some twigs snapped under his weight. He looked up at me as the blood continued to gargle in his mouth and run down his chin and neck. It quickly stained the ground beneath him. 

The look on his face was one of shock, as one would expect but there was something else… I couldn’t put my finger on it. The closest thing I could use to describe that look was… heartbroken… Could my hunch have been correct in assuming he actually liked me..? Well even if he did, it didn’t matter now. What’s done is done as they say.

I watched as the blood continued to pour out of his mouth and wound. The sound of him dying was almost too much for me to bare… He was taking too long to die. The best thing to do was to end his suffering. I had to picture him as some small animal that was beyond saving. It would make this whole thing easier to deal with. 

I crouched down beside him and lowered my head next to his. I made eye contact with him then whispered, “I’m sorry, but I have to do this. It’s all over now.” Without any feeling, I stabbed his chest, right in the heart. 

_He died instantly._

His body went completely still. There were no more sounds coming from his mouth. I watched as the blood continued to leak and soaked the forest floor. The dirt beneath his body turned into a bloody puddle of mud. 

It didn’t take long for the whole thing to hit me. When it did I felt like I couldn’t breathe. It was as if all the air left my lungs. I stumbled backward and a few feet away from Jason, I fell on my ass. The now bloody knife fell from my hand and landed with a soft thud beside me in the dirt. 

**I had just taken a life…**

I took the life of another human being… I looked down at my hands. They were both shaking violently and the one that held the knife was covered in blood… His sticky, warm blood… There was so much blood… It covered my whole hand and even a bit of my forearm…

My heart was racing. I felt like I couldn’t breathe. The world was spinning. Jeff was right... I couldn’t handle this... This was going to mess me up... It was going to haunt me for the rest of my life... What had I gotten myself into..? I felt like I was going to have a panic attack. I looked down at his body again and quickly scrambled to get away from him... it... whatever... I just needed to put distance between me and that... mess... 

I got a few feet away when I felt my stomach contents creep up my throat. I collapsed on my hands and knees and emptied my dinner on the ground. I heaved so violently that I felt like my stomach was going to come out too. When my stomach was completely empty I began to crawl away but only made it a few feet before my limbs gave out. My body hit the forest floor with a thud. My eyes were open but looking at nothing. The world was spinning and I couldn’t focus on anything. I was so out of it that I couldn’t even look around when I heard footsteps quickly approach me. I closed my eyes and waited for a fellow classmate to start screaming but it never came.

Eventually, I opened my eyes and was met with the familiar wide eyes of none other than Jeff the Killer. “I knew it! I knew this would happen! You can’t handle this!” He exclaimed. I closed my eyes again. I was not ready to hear him rant. “Hey! Are you alright? Are you hurt?”

“I-I’m fine... Just...Just let me rest a bit...”

“No time. Get up.” I groaned when he pulled me into a sitting position. I still felt sick but didn’t feel as if I would throw up again. I didn’t have the energy even if I wanted to. I looked up, a bit dazed and saw the Boss standing over the dead body of Jason. It looked like he was... inspecting it... It was almost like he was an art teacher who was examining the work of a student. 

“ _You did very well for your first kill._ ” I heard his voice in my head. 

“Boss, they can’t do this again. Look at them!” 

“Jeff... Stop it... I’m fine.” I shoved him off and got to my feet on my own, despite being a bit wobbly. I didn’t even bother to look back at Jeff but I could tell that he was shocked. “This was my first kill. I was bound to react this way but I’ll get better with time and practice...”

“ _I agree. The first is not easy but over time I know you will become a very skilled Proxy._ ”

“Thank you...” I coughed as I thanked him. A bit more vomit had made its way up and when I tried to swallow, I ended up choking on it. Slendy picked up on it and teleported closer to us.

“ _Jeff, take them home. Make sure they are taken care of and get some rest. I will give you two the next month off._ ” And with that, he was gone. I looked back at where Jason had been and his body was gone too. Slendy must have taken it to wherever he took his victims.

“Let’s go.” Jeff’s voice sounded a bit harsh. He grabbed my arm and began to drag me home but when my legs began to fail me he wasted no time in lifting me up bridal style and carrying me the rest of the way. On any other occasion I would have made a fuss and demanded he put me down but at the time I was just too tired. I let him carry me to my house and told him that the side door was open. We entered the house quietly and he took me to my room where he gently placed me on the ground. I was about to ask why but it quickly came to me. I was still covered in blood that had not dried and if it got on my bed then my parents would definitely ask questions.

He left for a bit and I wondered where he was but when he came back I saw that he was carrying a small bin, full of soapy water along with some small towels. He put everything on the ground beside me and began to undress me. I blushed when I felt the layers fall from my body. I must have still been in shock from the kill because I didn’t put up any resistance when he pulled my shirt over my head leaving my whole upper body completely exposed. I felt like I was on display but he didn’t look at me. Instead, he focused on cleaning the blood off my skin with the warm water. Even if he never gave my body a second glance I couldn’t help but feel embarrassed. Jeff was my best friend and now he has seen me almost naked. 

After he was done cleaning the blood he picked up a second towel and dried me off. When he did I had recovered just enough to show my embarrassment. I quickly stood up and turned away from him while covering my chest. “T-Thanks...I’m fine from here...” I stuttered. 

“The Boss told me to look after you, so that’s what I’m going to do. Now get changed. Don’t worry I won’t look.” I turned my head slightly to look at him and saw that he was cleaning up. I watched as he picked everything up and left the room once again. When he was gone I quickly changed into my pajamas, got into bed and waited for him to return. He came back after a few minutes, closed the door behind him and sat on the bed, across from me. “I put everything away and made sure the back door was locked.”

“Thanks... for looking after me... You don’t have to...”

“I wanted to.” For some reason, when I heard that it made me blush again. Why was I feeling this way all of a sudden? Did Jason’s love confession do something to me? I felt something for Jason and now... now I felt like I was beginning to feel something for Jeff... No. No, I wasn’t. This just had to be my hormones. This thing I felt, whatever it was wasn’t real. Jeff was just a really good friend of mine and there is no way I wanted to ruin that. Even if I did feel something for him I doubted it would last very long and the last thing I wanted to do was break his heart. There was also to issue of his… “profession”… We could never make a relationship work. Just us being friends was putting not only myself but my parents at risk.

“Well, thanks...” For a long time, we sat in silence. I don’t know for how long but it felt like hours even though it was probably closer to ten minutes at most. I lied down in bed and when I got comfortable I looked at Jeff. “Come...” I whispered but it was just loud enough for him to hear. It took a few seconds but soon I felt him lie down beside me. My back was facing him and since I had a single bed, the only way for him to not fall was to press his body against mine. I held my breath for a few seconds when I felt my back against his chest then my ass pressed against his crotch... I could feel my face burn. I didn’t like this... I wish I could avoid him but knew I couldn’t... And even if I could that was so childish... I wasn’t a child anymore. I went completely stiff when I felt him snake his arm around me. 

“Sorry...”He said and was about to pull away but I grabbed his arm, stopping him before he had the chance. 

“No... This is fine...” When I let him go I could feel him place his arm around me again and he adjusted himself into a comfortable position. I could feel his breathing on my neck which sent shivers down my spine. When I felt Jason’s breath on me it was unwelcome but now that it was Jeff... I don’t know... I didn’t want to push him away like I did Jason... When it was Jeff, I liked it. It made me feel something between my legs. It was a slight tingle. I was seriously getting aroused by my best friend being so physically close to me! This was so not happening! I just wish I could avoid him for the rest of my life. What was I going to do about this? My mind was racing with thoughts but eventually, I fell asleep in the arms of Jeff the Killer…


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning I woke up to find myself alone in bed. Jeff must have left sometime after I fell asleep last night. I looked over at my window and saw that it was cracked open ever so slightly. ‘ _Well last night was definitely an interesting experience..._ ’ I thought to myself as I sat up in bed. It was a Saturday so I could have slept in if I wanted to and I probably should have but I couldn’t. I was lucky enough not to have any nightmares last night but I feared that if I closed my eyes again I would be haunted by the image of Jason’s dead body... I shook the thought from my head and got ready for the day. In an attempt to clear my thoughts I washed my face with cold water instead of the usual warm water.

After I got dressed I went to the front door and got my shoes on. “I’m going to meet my friends at the park!” I called to my parent’s room but I didn’t get an answer. Mom loved to sleep in and dad was probably so tired from working so late. I probably should have left a note or something but I figured if they really wanted to know where I was they could text me. However, I was an adult in their eyes who could come and go whenever I wanted, as long as I was home by nine on school nights. I got my shoes on and left the house. It was a nice day out. It was fairly cool with a nice breeze. Finally, after many hot days, there was one with a comfortable temperature.

I walked along the street towards the park but as I did I got the feeling of being watched again... I quickly turned around but as usual, I didn’t see anyone. This made no sense. I thought that maybe Jason was my stalker but it turns out he wasn’t. Maybe he was more normal than I thought he was. Now that he was out of the way I needed to do some investigation and find out who the fuck was watching me. I refused to live looking over my shoulder all day. However, I needed to get Slenderman’s permission first before I did anything. The last thing I wanted to do was to get in trouble after my first successful solo mission. Curse Slendy and his stupid rules.

I jogged the rest of the way but the feeling of being watched never went away. Since someone was following me, presumably a human, there was no way I could meet everyone out in the open. The last thing I needed was a human to witness something like that. This meant that I had to go deep in the forest to an old tunnel that was our meeting place in the event something like this should happen. Before I got there I had to lose this person which I hoped I could do in the woods. It was quite the distance to the tunnel and the woods were so thick that this shouldn’t be a problem. I braced myself for the inevitable bugs and went into the thick woods. 

When I first went in I could still feel eyes on me but as I made my way deeper the feeling went away. I must have lost whoever was following me. I picked up my pace and soon made it to the dark, wet tunnel. I went in to hide in case the person caught up to me. I was only hiding for a few short seconds before Slendy appeared. 

“Oh good, I need to speak to you.” I started but was silenced when he raised his hand. 

“ _You are being followed._ ” He said. His voice echoed in my head. This caused me to peak out the tunnel and I looked around but of course, there was no one. Perhaps he saw them following me earlier. “ _Don’t worry. They aren’t here at the moment but when you leave they will most certainly find you._ ”

“That’s what I came here to talk to you about! You have to let me end them!” I begged. I wanted to break down at that very moment but knew I couldn’t show any weakness. I was a Proxy after all. Proxies were not weak. “I can’t go on like this. I don’t like being watched!”

“ _Calm down. Right now you shouldn’t be doing anything._ ” I was a bit stunned at his words. So I shouldn’t go after my stalker and get them to stop following me? I know the Boss isn’t human but surely he knows that most humans didn’t like being followed around constantly and thought it was super creepy. I would have said something but he didn’t give me the chance. “ _Right now you need to rest and relax after what you went through last night. I can have another Proxy handle it._ ”

“Boss please... this is my stalker so it’s my problem... please let me deal with it... I know I probably can’t do much right now but I want to do this on my own.” I said sincerely. I didn’t want to sit back and wait for another Proxy to finish him or her off. If that happened I knew there was a great chance that I would never know who it was and I couldn’t live with that. Not knowing. I had to know who this was and why they chose me out of anyone else in the town. 

Slendy took a few seconds to think about it. Even without eyes, it looked like he was studying me and processing my request. He hardly ever let anyone make requests. You just killed whoever he told you to go after. I guess my heartfelt plea got to him because he eventually responded. “ _I can tell that this is very important to you... Since you are merely a human I really should let you recover for longer after last night but if this is what you want to do... Taking a life is not easy for regular humans but I can sense that you have recovered fairly quickly... I will allow you to find out everything you can about your new target but try to reframe from killing them for at least a month... You still need time even if you think you don’t... Trust me on this child..._ ”

“Alright... okay fine. I promise not to take their life, should I find out who they are in under a month.” He seemed pleased with that answer and vanished from sight. He was probably going to give orders to another Proxy. I could have gone back home or maybe even gone to the mall but I felt too nervous to leave the tunnel. What if my stalker was waiting for me right outside? I decided to wait until a friend showed up. I would be happy even if it was L.J. He and I have never been that close but he would have been better than nothing. 

I found the one dry spot on the ground and sat down. There I waited for someone, anyone to come but for a long time, I was alone. Did the Boss really send everyone on a mission all at once? No. He knew I needed to recover so he’d leave at least one person free. If so then where were they? He would have told them where to find me by now... I was lost in my thoughts but a sound snapped me back to reality. It was the sound of a twig snapping. My heart rate shot up. Was it my stalker? Had they found me already? Or did they just happen to be in the area? I decided not to find out. I got on my feet and took off in the opposite direction from where I heard the sound. I couldn’t let them reach me. Not now. It was too soon to deal with it right now. I ran down a path. I didn’t recognize it. I hadn’t been this far in before and I knew I would get lost but I didn’t care. I just had to put some distance between them and myself. 

After running for what seemed like forever I stopped when I reached a bridge. I was out of breath and needed to take a rest before I passed out. I calmed my breathing then looked around for any sign of another person but I saw nothing. Where could they have gone? There was absolutely nowhere to hide. Did I lose them again? I hoped so. I didn’t get the feeling of being watched so I assumed that I was safe for the time being but got ready to run again if I needed to. 

I recovered fairly quickly after sprinting quite a distance and still didn’t feel anyone else’s presence so I sat down on a bridge that I came across and let my feet hang off the side. It was surprisingly high up considering it was located on the edge of a small town and the water below moved quite fast. It was interesting how I never found this until now. It would be a good place to bring future victims. I doubted that anyone even knew this was here. There wasn’t a house for miles.

“There you are!” I jumped when I heard the voice. I turned my head in the direction of the source and found a boy dressed in green from head to toe standing next to me. 

“BEN! You startled me!” 

“Well sorry but not really. You made me look all over for you but you could have spared me if you had just stayed put in the stupid tunnel.”

“Wow okay... sorry... but I heard something and...Well...” My voice trailed off and I looked down at my feet that were swinging off the side of the bridge. 

“You got scared, didn’t you?” I didn’t even have to look at BEN to know that he was smirking. 

“What? No! I don’t get scared!”

“You were totally scared.” He chuckled to himself and sat beside me on the bridge. I slapped his arm and he faked being injured. This comforted me just enough to bring out a small laugh. The two of us got into a little slapping war. It was something we have done ever since we met. The others didn’t understand why we did it but we found it fun. It was our little game. All we did was just slapped each other’s hands, almost like a fight but not really. After our little game, our hands were usually quite red and Jeff would yell at BEN thinking he hurt me which I when I had to shut him up and tell him it was just harmless fun. 

“So did the Boss tell you that I am being stalked?” I said as I looked over at him.

“Yeah... he said that you were going to take care of it too. Are you sure you can handle it now?”

“Yeah, of course. I need to do this. I have to know who it is and why they picked me as a target.”

“Well, the Boss gave Jeff and me permission to help you in any way that we can.”

“That’s sweet but I think I can handle it.”

“But you don’t know who this person is. They could be a big tall guy who’s strong and could easily overpower you!” This made me look up at BEN. He was so concerned about this. Sure he and I were friends but I swore he was more scared than I was. Maybe Jeff gave him orders to protect me in which case his very life was on the line.

“Geez BEN calm down. I can handle this. I suspect the person goes to the same school as me so I’ll start there.” I put on a sweet smile to try and ease things but it didn’t really help. He still looked really worried. It would seem as though my smile only worked on Jeff... “I’ll try to see if I can find any clues when I go to school on Monday. If they are serious about stalking me then surely I can catch them looking at me at least once at school.” At least, I hoped I could. At school, it was super easy for someone to watch me and go undetected during breaks. There was always a bunch of people roaming the halls which would make blending in really easy. This must have been how my stalker had been watching me this whole time. Another advantage they had, was at school my ability to sense just who was watching me and where exactly they were was clouded by the high amount of people in a small space.

“Whatever you do, don’t go putting yourself in danger. Just remember, when you are at school, none of us can protect you.”

“And who says I need protection?” I pulled out my knife and smirked at him as I twirled it in my hand.


	7. Chapter 7

BEN and I stayed on the bridge for a while. We talked about random things such as what conversations he had with people online and how he messed with them, to his work as a Proxy and how he met Slendy all the way to what I did at school. The two of us could talk for hours if no one stopped us. I remember when Jeff first introduced us, I was a bit shy as I always am around new people but BEN was so easy to talk to and made me feel comfortable. After that, we quickly became best friends and annoyed the hell out of Jeff with all our talking. One of the main reasons why we talked so much is because BEN is very fascinated with that I did at school. Out of all the Proxies, he is definitely the most curious. Perhaps it was because he died at such a young age. I believe he said he was thirteen when he so tragically left this world so he missed out on so many things. 

When we were just starting to get to know each other he told me everything he could remember from the time that he was alive but the one thing he refused to talk about was how he died. I had to admit, I was really curious but I understood that it must be a really sensitive topic for him so I never pushed him for details. We were close and I figured that if he wanted to tell me then he would but if not then there was nothing I could do about it.

As we talked I started to get the feeling of being watched again. The first thought that came to mind was my stalker but this aura felt different. For some reason, I couldn’t tell if the person was friendly or not as the aura gave off both good and bad vibes. The one thing I could tell was that it definitely felt familiar. I looked all around us for any signs of another person and listened for any sounds of twigs snapping but there was nothing. I didn’t even see so much as a shadow. “Is someone there?” I called out but got no response. All that could be heard was the rustling of the leaves.

“Do you sense something?” BEN asked in a whisper while he looked around too. 

“I can definitely feel something but I can’t tell if it’s an enemy or not...” I was looking behind us when all of a sudden BEN let out an ear piercing scream that caused me to practically jump out of my skin. I looked at him in a panic to see what was wrong and saw that he was looking down at his leg. I leaned over to get a closer look and saw a rather familiar hand gripping his skinny leg. “Jeff!” It was then I heard his crazy laugh, or as I called it “his psycho laugh”.

“ **JEFF YOU ARE SUCH A DICK!** ” BEN screamed. I couldn’t hold in my laughter any longer. I laughed so hard that I felt like I couldn’t breathe and tears streamed down my cheeks. I watched as BEN tried kicking free of Jeff’s grip but he held on for dear life. BEN then tried kicking him in the face with his free leg but Jeff was quick and dodged every swing. “ **GET OFF YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE! I SWEAR, ONE OF THESE DAYS I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU!** ”

“Sorry, but I couldn’t resist,” Jeff said innocently and let go of poor BEN’s leg. He quickly pulled both legs up to his chest and hugged them to avoid being grabbed again. “You are just to easy to scare.” Jeff climbed up the bridge and sat beside me while BEN glared at him the whole time.

“That was so mean but so funny. I’m sorry BEN but it really was.” I managed to say when my laughing fit subsided a bit. He didn’t say anything in response. He just kept glaring and crossed his arms. He tried his best to look frightening but really, he just looked like a cute little kid who was told to get ready for bed.

“I swear I’m going to kill your boyfriend one of these days...” BEN did his best to sound threatening but the thing I was concerned with was the fact that he referred to Jeff as my ‘boyfriend’. That made me blush and I desperately hoped they didn’t notice.

“Jeff isn’t my boyfriend and you know it... He and I are just really good friends.” I said as confidently as I could but I could feel my face heat up to a thousand degrees. 

“Right... you two are just ‘good friends’. ‘Good friends’ who sleep in the same bed that just so happens to be a single.” I froze at that and judging from the aura Jeff was giving off, he did too.

“We don’t know what you’re talking about!” Jeff snapped at him. I was looking at BEN’s face the whole time and saw a big, knowing smirk on his face. 

“Suuure you don’t but I don’t know many friends, no matter how close share a single bed together. And you two looked so cozy, all snuggled up in each other's arms~”

“Think what you want but Jeff was just worried about me so he stayed the night. I tell him all the time that he doesn’t have to look after me but he never listens.” I replied bluntly.

“Go ahead and tell yourselves that but just so you know, the more you two deny it, the more obvious it is to me that there is something going on~” For the first time since I met him, I seriously wanted to hurt BEN. I couldn’t kill him since he was already dead but I could still cause him harm. 

“I don’t know how Jeff feels but I can certainly say that I don’t feel anything for him. He is just a friend and nothing more. I can’t even begin to imagine us together, nor do I really want to. He feels like a brother to me since we’ve known each other since we were little.” I could feel Jeff tense at that. Did I say something wrong? Sure he was protective of me and cared about me but that didn’t mean he loved me. Jeff was a cold-blooded killer. He didn’t even think about loving someone romantically, or so I thought. 

“Ouch. Jeff, it looks like you got shot down before even getting the chance to ask them out.” Now BEN was just being cruel.

“It doesn’t matter. I’m not exactly interested in being in a relationship anyway. It just doesn’t interest me...” As he spoke, I detected a hint of sadness in his voice... Did... Did he actually feel something for me? Did he want to be more than just friends? Even if he did, and even if I did like him, we couldn’t make it work. No. BEN was just making this entire thing up and I was reading too much into it. Jeff must have had a delayed reaction to BEN’s words. He just said himself that he wasn’t looking for anyone. 

“You two are bigger deniers than flat earthers...” I let him have a good laugh before I kicked his leg with all my strength. He cried out in pain and held the area I kicked. “That hurts you know! I might be dead but that doesn’t mean I can’t feel pain!”

“I think that was the point,” Jeff replied. This earned the both of us another glare before he vanished from sight. “Dick.”

“Give him a break, he still has the mind of a thirteen-year-old.”

“I wasn’t like that when I was thirteen.”

“No, you just flipped out and began killing people.”

“...Right...” The two of us sat there in silence for a long time after that. After what BEN said, we grew awkward around each other. There were a few times when we made a move to speak but it was at the same time and instead of one of us try to speak we just dropped it and went back to silence. I don’t know why this had such an effect on us. I wasn’t attracted to Jeff and he said that he wasn’t looking for anyone. Still, it didn’t mean we couldn’t be embarrassed by BEN’s words.

We sat there until Jeff got tired of the awkward silence and got to his feet. I watched as he stretched from sitting for so long and as he did, his sweater lifted up just enough for me to see the white, leathery skin underneath. I quickly looked away and pretended to be focused on the water below. Luckily for me, he didn’t catch me looking.

“Let’s head back. It’s getting late and you should get home before it gets too cold.” I nodded and got to my feet, all while avoiding looking directly at him. I didn’t have to pretend to be lost in thought, because I was, but if he asked I would say that I was thinking about finding out about my stalker and not... not what I had just seen... I guess Jeff was still a bit awkward from earlier as he didn’t ask me what was on my mind. We just walked quietly back to the edge of the forest. 

I didn’t feel the creepy aura from my stalker so they must have given up on trying to find me in the woods and went home. At least, I hoped they did but depending on how determined they were, they could be waiting just outside the forest for me. I reached in my pocket and gripped my knife tightly. “Well I think I have it from here, I’ll see you later Jeff.”

“No, let me walk you home.”

“Oh, there is no need! I’ll be perfectly fine and it is still bright out. You might be seen.”

“But what about your stalker?”

“If they try anything then they are in for a world of hurt.” I pulled out my knife and released the blade with an evil smirk. After I recovered from the other night, I had this strange urge to cause harm to someone, particularly my biggest fan. I wondered if this is how Jeff felt after he beat up the bullies the first time. He never went into details about the fights but from what he told me, he started feeling different after the fight at the bus stop. 

I could tell that Jeff noticed something was different about me. His aura felt tense which also showed in his body language. I looked away from him to look at the knife in my hand. The blade was so shiny and pointy... So sharp... It cut through skin and tissue like butter... I wanted to experience that feeling again. The feeling of running it through someone. I was becoming a real Proxy now. I could feel it. Slenderman will be so proud. I looked back at Jeff and noticed that he was worried. I was becoming the one thing he didn’t want me to be but this was my life, not his. He couldn’t control me, nor could he stop me. Not now.

I walked away from him and headed back home. He was in such shock that I don’t think he moved for a good five minutes at least after I left. Just as I was leaving the park I made sure to put my knife back in my pocket. The last thing I needed was for someone to call the cops on me for holding a weapon. If the cops got involved with us Proxies that meant more work for the Boss and if there was one thing he hated, it was extra work. Getting caught or almost caught by the cops was a good way to get on his bad side for a good month or longer. Jeff and E.J unfortunately, learned this the hard way. The two of them were so close to having their limbs ripped out of their sockets that day. I chuckled at the memory of them begging Slendy to let them live. I had never seen two killers so scared before. It was so funny.

I was so focused on my thoughts that I didn’t pick up on the aura my stalker was giving off. I would have been a perfect time for them to strike had it not been still bright out and people were in their backyards having barbeques. My screaming would have brought too much attention so luckily for me I was safe.

I arrived home in one peace and went straight to the kitchen to try and find something to eat. I had left hours ago and hadn’t had a single bite to eat all day. I was starving. As I walked to the fridge a note on the counter caught my eye. I picked it up and read what was written on the lime green paper.

_Your dad and I left for our trip while you were gone. I wish we could have said goodbye but when we were leaving, you were nowhere to be seen. As you know, we will be gone for the next seven days. We left money for food in case you ran out in the basket. Make sure you get it. – Mom_

Shit. I completely forgot this was the day they were going. I wish I had been home to say goodbye. Oh well. C’est la vie, as the French say. I threw the note out and went to the basket she referred to in the note. In the living room, there was a small table beside our big sofa and on the table was a basket where we left little things such as gift cards, keys and random items that were left around the house. In the basket, I found an envelope which contained sixty dollars. That was a lot for seven days worth of food for just myself. Did they think I was going to eat out for every meal or something? All I live on is sandwiches and cereal. Perhaps I should treat myself for tonight and order in pizza. I could invite Jeff, BEN, and E.J if they weren’t busy. I should definitely invite BEN and apologize for kicking him.

I tucked the money in my pocket then went to my room to get changed into something more comfortable. I decided to try and contact BEN before getting a hold of Jeff. Damn, I should have thought of this earlier when I was with him. Jeff picked up quite a bit of money from all his kills as he stole from them so with that I would pick up a burner phone for him every few months when he used up his hours. That way, I would always be able to contact him in case of an emergency. 

If BEN wasn’t still mad at me then he should be fairly easy to get a hold of. If he wasn’t working he was either playing his stupid game or messing with people on Cleverbot. I had a high chance of catching him online. After changing into my PJs I went downstairs to the basement where we had the family computer set up. Since I was home alone I decided to keep the lights off as I loved the darkness. I sat down on the chair and waited for the computer to boot up.


	8. *TRIGGER WARNING*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***IMPORTANT***
> 
> Please read the notes at the end of the chapter if you were able to make it through. If rape triggers you then skip this chapter. I have written it in such a way that you will not miss anything if you skip to the next chapter.

As the computer loaded I took out my cell phone and began texting Jeff. Just before I hit send I heard a noise upstairs. It wasn’t that loud but I heard it. Anyone else might have assumed it was a house settling noise but I knew it wasn’t. Accompanied by the sound, I picked up on a menacing aura. There was someone in my house and they had a bad intention. It wasn’t a simple breaking and entering, they knew I was in here and they wanted to cause harm to me but what it was exactly, I couldn’t tell. Slendy said that if I perfect my skills, one day I might be able to tell what someone was thinking but at that moment, I couldn’t. 

I quickly turned the brightness on my phone all the way down then put it on mute before sending the text to Jeff followed by a second.

**Jeff, I need you to come right now. Someone is in my house! SOS**

I heard the person walking around upstairs and the sounds of doors opening and closing. They were looking for me. I locked my phone then, as quietly and as quickly as I could, I scrambled for cover. Luckily, we had an older home which came with a small storage compartment. I got inside, closed the small door behind me and waited. When the person didn’t find me upstairs, I knew they would come looking downstairs. I opened my phone and checked to see if Jeff had responded. He hadn’t. Shit. I was on my own and since I felt safe in my house I left my knife in my room when I got changed. If I got out of this alive I swore I would never go anywhere without my knife.

I stared anxiously at my phone as I waited for a text from Jeff. That asshole had better check his phone! If I had any real friends from school I would have texted them but unfortunately for me, I was a total wallflower... I just had to hope and pray Jeff would come before I got killed...

Each second felt like an hour as I listened to the intruder walk around. They had now reached the basement and were searching for me. If I was lucky, they didn’t have any source of light on them because this door was impossible to find with just moonlight to rely on. I heard the footsteps get closer and closer to my hiding spot and my heart stopped. Did they really see the door or did they just happen to walk in this direction when searching? It didn’t matter because all of a sudden the door swung open and I was face to face with my intruder. I was so shocked I couldn’t even scream. It was my next door neighbor. Chad I believe his name was. He was around my age, just a few months younger but so much taller than me. 

“There you are!” He said in a chilling voice. He reached in and grabbed my arm tightly. I tried to fight against him but he was too strong for me. In one swift movement, he pulled me out and had me pinned to the ground. I kicked my feet as hard as I could, hoping they would make an impact but he was quick and dodged every time.

“Let me go!” I cried out. He didn’t. He just tightened his grip on my arms and moved his body on top of mine.

“Stop struggling! You are mine! Mine and mine alone!” This dude was crazy!

“I don’t belong to anyone!” I called back and continued to struggle. There was no way I was going to lose to him.

“You are mine! You don’t belong to him! I am the one who will make you an adult!” That made me freeze. There were so many things wrong with that he just said. I don’t belong to him? Who is him? I was quite confident that this psycho was my stalker and if he was following me today then it was quite possible he saw me with Jeff. Is that who he was referring to? It had to be but that was the least of my worries. The thing that worried me the most was when he said he was going to make me an adult. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what that meant and there was no way I was going to let that scum touch me in that way.

I resumed my attempts to get away but he had managed to pull out some rope that I assumed he had brought with him and managed to tie my hands, against my best efforts to fight him off. This wasn’t good. If he tied up my legs then it was all over for me but if he intended to ‘make me an adult’ then I doubt he would. My struggles increased when I felt his hands slide off my pants. I wasn’t going to let him do this.

I waited until my pants were gone before I started kicking at him violently. It was then I was so glad that my parents forced me to take soccer lessons at an early age because now I had a very strong kick. I felt my foot hit what could only have been his face and he screamed out in pain. Score one for me! I kicked him again to push him away then scrambled to my feet but he was quick to recover. He too jumped to his feet and shoved me against a wall. I gasped as I felt the air leave my lungs. He flipped me so that I was facing the wall then pressed his body against mine to keep me in place. I began to shake when I felt my underwear slide down my legs and no matter how much I tried to keep them closed, he pried them open. 

I felt the tears stream down my face as I heard him unzipping his pants. I had lost. I had lost and now he was going to violate me. I tried to fight him but I was still weak from the force of being shoved against the wall. He had the upper hand here. I lifted a leg and tried to kick his hip but he grabbed it and held it up for better access. I was terrified and started screaming when I felt the tip of his penis press against my opening. I kept telling him to no and to stop but there was nothing I could do now. No matter how hard I fought against him, he had his way with me. 

All I felt was a sharp pain in between my legs. I cried and screamed for him to stop but of course, he didn’t listen. He won so he did whatever he wanted. With one hand, he held on to my leg and with the other, he lifted up my shirt and began to grope my chest. I pressed my hands against the wall and tried to push against him, hoping that I could knock him off his feet but it didn’t work but that didn’t stop me from trying again. He must have gotten angry with me because he pulled off me, grabbed my arms and threw me to the ground. I landed with a thud and cried out in pain as my head hit the tile floor. I was dazed now but just conscious enough to feel him lift my legs and penetrate me again. He violated me again, and again and again... and all I could do was lie there and endure it.

My face was soaked with tears as he had his way with me. How could a person do this to another? What had I done to deserve something like this? We hadn’t spoken in years. Why did he pick me as his target and not someone else? Was it because I was convenient and easy to keep track of? By now I had given up fighting him altogether. I couldn’t fight him. He was much bigger and stronger than me. All I could do was cry and continue to scream out for help even though the chances of someone hearing it were slim. It was late and we were in the basement. 

When he saw that I had stopped resisting he just became even more encouraged. Did he really think I was enjoying it now? I didn’t know, and I didn’t care. I just wanted this to be over with. Where was Jeff? The one time I really needed him and he was nowhere to be found. Did he even get my texts?

I felt like I wasn’t in my body anymore. I no longer felt any pain. I felt nothing. I barely felt when he flipped me over and took me from behind. I was numb all over. Incapable of feeling. I faintly heard his pants and sighs of pleasure. He was enjoying himself while I wanted to die. 

This went on for what felt like years. He could have gotten off more than once, I couldn’t tell. Seconds felt like years to me. I just want this all to end. At some point, he must have felt like I was no longer a threat because he cut the rope that kept my hands tied. Where did he get the knife? It had to have been mine. He must have found it while he was searching for me. I watched as he set it aside and flipped me on my back. Once again, he parted my legs and thrust in. I hissed at the pain. My senses were coming back as I formed a plan to take revenge.

This bastard didn’t get to break into my house, take my virginity by force and get away with it. I was going to make this bastard pay for what he did to me. He was going to pay for this with his life. He didn’t get to violate and humiliate me like this. He would also never get the chance to do this to another innocent person ever again. I put up no resistance when he moved my hands around his neck. I grabbed on to his shirt with a death grip. I hissed as I felt the pain coming from my neck. He was biting every bit of skin he could find. I cried out at one particularly hard bite. It hurt so much that I was sure he drew blood. That was when I grabbed the knife and with a scream, full of rage and pain, I brought it down on the side of his neck. I hit the carotid artery. He fell to the ground screaming and he held his neck. Since I was under him I got bathed in blood but I didn’t care. I was just glad that I had stabbed him. 

I scrambled as far away as I could from him and wiped the blood from my face. I listened as that bastard took his last breaths. When he died, the room went quiet. It was deathly quiet. Not even I had made a sound. I held my breath for countless seconds until I was sure he was dead. I gripped on to my knife so hard I was sure my fingers had turned white. I made a move to get up but now that my adrenaline had gone down I felt an intense pain in between my legs. It was so great that I could barely move. I couldn’t do anything but cry, which is what I did. I screamed at the top of my lungs and cried out every emotion the human could possibly feel. 

I grabbed my shirt and pulled the stretchy fabric. I could still feel his hands on me. His hands were all over me. I pulled so hard that my shirt ripped and fell to the floor but the feeling of his disgusting hands was still there. I clawed at my skin as I screamed and cried. I scratched every inch of myself in an attempt to stop the feeling of him touching me but it didn’t work. My nails dug into my skin and I felt something sticky under my nails. It had to be blood but was it his or was it mine? I didn’t know and didn’t care. I had to get the feeling to stop. I felt his fingers rub my nipple even though his dead body was lying just a few feet away from me. The feeling wouldn’t go away and I continued to scratch myself. My nails dug into the flesh of my abdomen where he had run his hand over and I scratched with such force that I felt like I was on fire.

I cried until my voice went out and the tears stopped flowing. I collapsed on the ground and I was so tired that I passed out the moment I hit the floor. The world went dark. I didn’t even have any dreams that night. It was just darkness... Darkness and pain... Pain and humiliation... That was all that went through my head that night...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***Please take the time to read this. It's long, I know but please read. It is important to me that you read this if you made it through the chapter.
> 
> I am not trying to provide entertainment by writing this particular chapter and nor do I support rape or anything of the sort. I think it is a disgusting thing for someone to do to another person. It leaves them utterly broken and they develop all sorts on mental issues which varies from person to person. This does happen in the real world and it happens in many different ways. I have known people who have experienced such a traumatic event and I myself have been physically violated by an ex and have been emotionally abused by another. (I have bad luck with men apparently.) 
> 
> When I wrote this chapter I was in a dark place and needed something to distract me from it. For some reason my brain brought up my awful experiences and I could not stop thinking about them. Shit happens during a very depressive episode so I was inspired to write this during that time. I did not plan to write such a thing but I needed to just let out my emotions. Every word I wrote that describes the reader's feelings are what I felt with both my exes. What happened in this chapter is not based exactly on my experiences but definitely inspired by them. What I felt when being touched by my ex is exactly how I felt all those years ago and sometimes I still feel his disgusting hands on me. I won't forget that anytime soon.
> 
> While I have moved on from all of that, the memories will forever be burned into my brain. I am sure that others feel the same if they have gone through something as horrible at that. It's something that stays in your mind for years, sometimes your whole life but you can chose to be consumed by it or try to move on. I am the type of person who doesn't like showing weakness of any kind so I only told very few people. The only one in my family who knows is my brother who was very good at helping me deal with it. I want to say I moved on fairly quickly (within a few days) but I didn't. Not really. I just learned to deal with it. I accepted that it happened and that it was a horrible thing but I had a life and I couldn't let it stop me from living. I gave myself a few days to process it then tried to go back to my normal everyday life. I did this both times. 
> 
> Both experiences have stayed with me and I can remember everything like it was yesterday. My hands still shake when I think about them but I didn't let it destroy me. The only lasting effect they had on me was I have a bit of a hard time hearing the notification sound from either Instagram or Facebook when I get a message. Sometimes, in the back of my mind I think it is my ex trying to get in contact with me but I know he has moved on. Hopefully neither of them have found a new target and if they have I hope they get out of it safely. 
> 
> When I wrote the scene where the reader kills Chad I did imagine my exes as I am still hurt by what they did to me. I would never do it in real life so writing about it is the next best thing I guess. It helped me cope with that I was feeling during my little episode. My hands shook the whole time writing this chapter and are shaking even now as I write this description. 
> 
> I am not asking for attention by writing this. If anything I don't really want messages saying how sorry you are that I went through something like this. I am over it I guess. I put everything behind me and moved forward with my life the best I could. I still get triggers and if I were to get intimate with someone I probably won't take off my shirt and allow them to touch my chest but other than that I feel like a totally normal person. What I want from people who read this is to spread awareness that this can happen to anyone, male or female and that the emotions they feel during and after are valid. I know many people who say to get over it and say disgusting things to the victims. **VICTIM BLAMING** seriously pisses me the fuck off. Victims went through something horrible and need love and support from those around them. They don't need people to make them feel like shit and feel like their feelings don't matter. I have had people say it to me, including my own parents! (It was not about me being violated as they still don't know but about my depression.)
> 
> Just take care of the people in your life and if they went through something that was traumatic to them (as everyone has a different view of what is traumatic) listen to what they have to say and help them through it. They need your love and support, not for you to tell them to get over it. It isn't that easy and no one will ever truly understand unless they went through it which I hope doesn't happen to you. 
> 
> Thank you for taking the time to read this. I know it was long but I had to write it.


	9. Chapter 9

I awoke to the sound of someone calling my name. At first, I couldn’t tell who it was but I soon recognized it as Jeff’s voice. I opened my eyes and saw that I was in my room, on my bed. Was last night a dream..? It felt so real... I turned my head to the side and saw Jeff at my bedside with a very concerned look on his face.

“Jeff..?” I could barely speak. My throat was so sore. It felt like my vocal cords had shattered. I lost my voice, but how... Did last night really happen? I shifted my legs and the pain confirmed it...

“Hey baby, I’m here.” He said lovingly and stroked a few strands of hair from my face. 

“Jeff...” I repeated. I wanted to tell him everything. I wanted him to know what happened last night. I had so many things racing through my head but he didn’t give me the opportunity to say anything other than his name. 

“Shhh. It’s alright. You’re okay now.” He continued stroking my hair then leaned down to plant a soft kiss on my forehead. I nuzzled slightly against his lips. I needed comfort. I needed to know that I was safe and that nothing like that would happen to me ever again. He must have read my mind or something because after the kiss he rested his forehead against mine. I closed my eyes and cherished the friendly human contact. I craved it. I could feel his piercing eyes look at me as he lacked eyelids but it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered anymore. The only thing I was focused on was being reassured that I was safe. “You’re safe.” 

When he pulled his face away from mine I reached up and grabbed a fistful of the fabric of his hoodie. I didn’t want him to leave. Not yet. The events of last night came rushing back all at once. I once again felt the fear and panic and being violated. I once again felt Chad’s hands on my skin. I scratched at my chest through the covers so violently that Jeff had to grab my hand with both of his and pry it off my chest. “Hey, that’s enough. I told you, you are safe. Everything is alright. He won’t hurt you ever again.” 

I struggled against his grip. All I could see was that monster. Jeff’s face morphed into his right in front of me. I started kicking and screaming even if no sound came out. The tears had returned too. Jeff did his best to pin me down, to keep me from hurting myself but it just made me fight back even more. I thought it was Chad holding me down again. The fear of him forcing himself on me once again came back. I couldn’t even hear Jeff call my name. It was as if he was miles away from me.

“Snap out of it!” I felt a second pair of hands on me. These had grabbed my legs and pinned them to the bed. I tried to fight against it but this person was just as strong as Chad.

“No!” I kept calling out. I spoke barely above a whisper but that didn’t stop me from trying to fight. I couldn’t give up. I couldn’t let him win again. I wouldn’t. “Monster!”

The hands that held my wrists let go and grabbed my face and turned my head to the side. I fought against that too and tried to claw at the person’s face but I couldn’t reach. I fought until I felt the energy just bleed out of me. Slowly, I began to calm down and my hands fell to my sides against the bed. The hands that had a grip on my feet carefully let go but the ones on my face remained. I blinked a few times to regain my focus and instead of Chad, I was face to face with Jeff. I blinked again and a few more tears rolled down my cheeks.

“Are you done?” I nodded with that energy I had left and he finally let go of my face. “I’m sure you have many questions and I’m not sure what you remember and what was so traumatizing that you blocked out. What I will say that will offer some comfort is that the bastard who attacked you is most certainly dead. The Boss took his body away and BEN and E.J spent the night cleaning up the basement. There isn’t a single trace of what happened last night down there. While they were doing that I brought you upstairs where I gave you a bath and put you to bed.”

I wanted to say thank you but no sound came from my lips. That flashback has destroyed what was left of my vocal cords. It would be a few days before I could start speaking again. The only way I knew how to thank him was to grab his hand and squeeze slightly. He brought my hand up to his lips and planted a gentle kiss on my knuckles before giving it a reassuring squeeze. Now I felt safe. Knowing that he was dead and that he would never be able to come after me again eased the thoughts that were swirling around my mind. 

I looked over at my bedroom door when I heard it click and swing open. There I saw all of my friends BEN, Sally, Slendy of course, and Smile. E.J was leaning against the wall next to the door so I assumed he was the one who had been holding my legs down during my fit. A small smile graced my face when I saw them. The one thing I needed now more than ever was a support system. Sally cautiously walked over to me after receiving a nod from Jeff and placed her very special teddy bear on my chest. It shocked me because it was so special to her that she never let it go after Slendy gave it to her.

“He will make you feel better!” I was about to thank her but remembered that I couldn’t speak and that it was best for my vocal chords that I didn’t try to. Instead, I reached out and gently patted the top of her head. She giggled and covered my hand with hers. They were so small in comparison. When I removed my hand from her head I took one of hers and helped her climb on the bed. She got under the covers beside me and snuggled close. I was already starting to feel like my normal self again. I looked up at Jeff who was looking down on us with a loving expression on his face.

My attention quickly turned to the others who were in the room and I made a motion for them to all come closer. They did and began telling stories of happy memories we all shared. BEN told stories of Jeff getting distracted by dogs while they were supposed to be focusing on a mission. Sally told a story of the one time she got L.J into a pink tutu and sparkly tiara. E.J told a story about how once, he and Toby decided to see who could climb the highest in a tree and how Toby played dirty and broke a branch he had been sitting on. He ended up falling a good eight feet to the ground, the other branches only slightly slowing his fall. All of these stories made me smile so widely that I was sure I looked like Jeff. 

The storytelling lasted a good few hours and around dinner time Jeff shooed everyone away, telling them that I had to eat then get some sleep. I wasn’t that tired but I was too weak to do anything myself so for now, Jeff was in charge. Everyone said their goodbyes and Sally was nice enough to let me keep her precious bear. I had Jeff hand me some paper and a pen and I wrote down a promise to take really good care of the bear until she came back later to pick him up. She was satisfied with that and let Slendy take her home, wherever that was. E.J had a mission so he took off but BEN and Smile stayed with us at the house but according to Jeff, weren’t allowed to stay in my room. They were kicked out to the living room where I could hear the TV playing what sounded like a musical. Those were BEN’s favorite for some reason. 

When everything was quiet Jeff left for a bit and came back with a tray full of delicious looking food. He was such a great cook. If he wasn’t a crazy killer and looked like a normal human I am sure he would have an army of women wanting to marry him. I sat up in bed and thanked him with a smile as he set the tray on my lap. His response to my smile was to kiss me on the cheek which caused me to blush. If BEN had seen that he would have claimed it evidence that we were, in fact, a couple but friends can kiss each other on the cheek and not have any strong feelings for each other, right? 

Jeff seemed oblivious to my blush, that or he chose not to say anything. I didn’t want to give him the opportunity to point it out so I quickly dug into the delicious meal. Jeff really had a talent although to make this I was sure he just watched a YouTube tutorial. It didn’t matter though, what did was the thought behind it.

After I cleaned the plate and chugged the juice he took the dirty dishes back to the kitchen while I got comfortable in bed. I thought back on the events that happened last night but didn’t freak out this time. Instead, I tried to process what had happened. It was a hard thing to do but I knew that if I wanted to try and get past this, it had to be done. I needed to remind myself that there was nothing I could have done to stop him and that he was dead, that he was never coming back, that he could no longer hurt me or anyone else. He was a monster who got what he deserved in the end. It was going to take way more than a day to come to terms with what happened but this was a start. 

I was so deep in thought that I didn’t even notice when Jeff came back in the room. I was just looking up at the ceiling and watched my fan as it spun around and around. It felt calming to watch the blade go around and around in circles. I jumped slightly when I felt a hand on my arm but calmed down when I saw it was Jeff. He informed me that BEN and Smile were occupied with a movie marathon and wouldn’t disturb me for the rest of the night. He also told me the extent of my injuries... I understood then why he chose to wait until we were alone to tell me...

He said that when he cleaned me up last night he saw that I had torn... down there which was to be expected after such an event, especially since I _was_ a virgin before. The bites on my neck were mostly light and would heal quickly but there was one that had bleed quite a bit and that was the one covered by a gauze patch. My arms were covered in dark bruises but they weren’t too serious. What had Jeff worried though were the cuts I had given to myself. They were the deepest injuries I had, aside from the bite. My nails were very strong and a bit long so with the force I scratched myself with they left some pretty deep cuts. Jeff compared them to the depth of the cuts on his cheeks and he was not one for exaggeration...

The odd thing was, they didn’t hurt until Jeff had pointed them out and showed me. When he lifted up my shirt I was shocked to say that least. It looked as if I was attacked by a big cat like a tiger or lion. I never thought, ever in a million years that I could do that kind of damage to myself. When I first saw the cuts I thought Chad had taken the knife and just slashed away at my torso but no... I did this... I was in such shock and so traumatized that I didn’t feel any pain at the time... Well I felt it now... So this is why Jeff wanted me to go to sleep right after eating... He knew I was going to be in a great amount of pain...

He pulled my shirt back down then pulled the covers up to my chin. He made sure that I had a good amount of water and that I was comfortable. “I know what you might be thinking,” he said as he smoothed out the blanket. “Where will I be sleeping? Well, I have a sleeping bag which I will set up next to the bed later when you’ve gone to sleep. As for the boys, they will be taking the couch. Not to worry, they have enough pillows and blankets. For the next few days, we aren’t going to leave you alone. Before your parents return, you are going to be sick of us.” I nodded and when I was comfortable he left and closed the door softly behind him.


	10. Chapter 10

The next few days were hard for me. I was still in pain every time I moved so going to the bathroom was a real challenge for me but luckily Jeff was there helping me the whole time. It was a bit strange to have him help me sit on the toilet, wipe me and help me back up but it wasn’t embarrassing. I was still too traumatized to feel embarrassed. I no longer cared who saw me naked.

Jeff helped me back in bed and when I was comfortable he checked on my injuries. I looked away when he checked in between my legs. It was so weird for him to look down there but according to him, the injury looked bad enough that it had to be observed to make sure it healed properly.

“It looks like its healing properly.” He said as he covered me up. “I don’t think I really need to check it anymore. Right now I’m more concerned with your scratches. You really did a number on yourself...” He sounded sad when he said those words. I wondered if he blamed himself, at least just a little bit. Had he arrived sooner then maybe he could have prevented any of this but he didn’t. He must have been on a mission or ran a small errand for Slendy if he didn’t see the texts. Those were the only things I could think of as he was very good at responding right away. It didn’t matter now. All of this was in the past. Now I just needed to focus on moving past this...

I lay back on the bed and lifted my shirt so Jeff could check the wounds. He carefully removed the old gauze and cleaned me. I tensed a bit when the wet cloth touched my skin. Jeff asked if it was too hot but it wasn’t so I shook my head. It wasn’t too hot or cold, it just stung. Some scabs had formed on the ends where the cuts weren’t as deep but rest still leaked blood. Open wounds and water didn’t mix. It stung like hell but I didn’t say anything or resisted. This had to be done. They had to be cleaned or else I risked infection.

When he was done, he put fresh gauze on my torso and tucked me in. “Thanks...” My throat hurt so much when I spoke. I barely managed to form the word. My throat felt tight, so tight it was like I was being strangled by a big hand but I could still breathe. It was such a strange feeling. 

“Don’t talk. Give your voice some more time to heal.” I nodded and he left for a bit to throw away the old gauze. When he came back I handed him a note I wrote, asking him what I was going to do about school. It was Tuesday so I had already missed two days without notice. Now that I had some time to come to terms with what happened I thought about school and what I missed the past few days. “Don’t worry about that. I called your school and explained that you had been attacked and are recovering from your injuries. They said they will do what they can to help you catch up when you return.” That certainly was a surprise to me. I never expected Jeff to call my school but someone had to do it.

With that taken care of, I was able to relax a bit. I didn’t have to worry about school for now. I hoped that by the time my parents got back I would have recovered enough to not rely on Jeff. I didn’t want them to know what had happened. They were not the type of people to say that it was my fault or shame me. They would be super concerned about me and fuss over me to make sure I was taken care of but I didn’t want them to do that. 

I had always been independent and wanted to take care of things on my own but they hovered a lot which made being independent almost impossible. They still wanted to pay for my food if we ate out together or movie tickets or whatever. I had my own money. I worked small jobs around town and when I went to college I planned to find a job. For working small jobs, I had a decent amount of funds in my bank account so I could buy my own things but no, they didn’t let me. It was so annoying... The only one who made me feel like an adult was Jeff... 

I looked over at him. He was sitting at my desk cleaning his knife. He looked up at me when he felt my eyes on him. I grabbed my notepad and wrote something down as he walked over. ‘I want to go watch TV’.

“I don’t think that is a very good idea... You still need to rest...”

‘I can rest on the couch.’ As I handed him that note, I made the most innocent looking smile I could. I even batted my lashes a bit. That did the trick and I could see a slight blush appear on his cheeks.

“Ok fine...” He helped me to my feet and we slowly made our way to the living room where BEN and Smile had taken over. There was soda cans and chips bags scattered all over. It looked like a college dorm... “Gross, guys I told you to clean up.”

“We are the only ones in the house Jeff, besides you are just as gross,” BEN replied. I couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. Even though he was a killer, Jeff was still only a sixteen-year-old boy. I looked up at him and saw that he wasn’t too pleased with BEN’s comment but he couldn’t argue. How could he when it was the truth? He took me to his hideout once and I saw the mess he left. 

“Whatever, just clean it up.” BEN did as he was told and Jeff helped me on the sofa. I got comfortable and he put a blanket on me. He was probably worried I was going to scratch at my cuts so the more layers the better. While BEN was busy cleaning up, Jeff snatched the remote and handed it to me and I immediately switched to the news channel. It had been two days since anyone heard from Chad and since he was quite popular people were most certainly going to notice. I did feel bad for his parents... Not that their piece of shit son died but that they didn’t know who he truly was... They thought he was a nice young man who respected others around him... It would break their hearts if they had known the truth about him... 

Just as I suspected, when I switched the channel there was a missing person report being broadcasted. It was for Chad.

“ _Two days ago, Chad Johnson went missing in his neighborhood. His mother said he went out to go pick up some groceries at nine PM before the store closed but he never returned._ ”

Right... He totally went to get groceries... 

“ _Police asked everyone he was close with and no one knew of any enemies or people who would want to cause the young man any harm. The search for him continues and hopefully, he will be brought home safely._ ”

“As if that would ever happen.” I scoffed. I wished I could come out publicly and say that he had stalked me but no one would ever believe me without proof and the police would start asking me questions... I wanted to slander his name and make everyone know just what kind of person he really was but I couldn’t do that... No one would believe me... He was a nice guy to them... What bullshit.

I had enough of the news so I switched to my favorite channel, Investigation Discovery. I loved almost every show on that channel but my favorite had to be, _Stalked, Someone’s Watching_. Even when I knew I was being stalked, it didn’t scare me to watch it. Sure the stories were unsettling but these were real things that happened to people and will continue to happen. You can’t hide the dark truth of humanity and unfortunately for me... I witnessed it first hand... 

I could feel Jeff judging me as I let the show play but I didn’t care. I just wanted to watch my show. BEN was also giving off some questionable vibes and before either could say anything, I stuck up my middle finger in their general direction. This caused BEN to burst out into a fit of laughter. I’m glad he found it funny but Jeff... Jeff just tensed as the show went on. I knew that he wanted me to rest and distract myself from what happened. Yes, this could set off a trigger for me but I didn’t care. I didn’t want this to haunt me for the rest of my life. I was a Proxy and Proxies can handle anything. 

Nothing was said about my choice of TV. BEN and Smile got comfortable on the floor in front of me while Jeff sat beside me. I felt him looking at me instead of the TV and I knew he wanted to say something but he held back. Was he afraid of starting a fight or something? Was Jeff the Killer really afraid of me? I smirked at the thought. I liked being feared. 

“Are you sure you don’t want to see what’s on TLC?” He asked during the first commercial break. “I am pretty sure that I Didn’t Know I Was Pregnant is on right now. We can make fun of the people for not picking up on the signs of pregnancy. I know you like doing that.”

He reached for the remote but I quickly slapped his hand away. I shook my head ‘no’ then hide the remote under the blanket. He grunted at this and pulled his hand away. I know he was just looking out for me but I had a different way of handling difficult situations than most. I refused to believe I broke my ankle in the fourth grade so for three weeks I went without a cast and even dared to put weight on it. It hurt like hell the whole time so eventually, my parents dragged my ass to the hospital where we discovered I had fractured my growth plate. Even at a young age, I refused to show weakness. I broke my ankle in front of my aunt but refused to cry until I made my way to my room where I was alone. It concerned my parents but I didn’t want them to see that side of me. I wasn’t weak. I was strong and I could deal with anything and I could do it on my own. 

I watched as the commercials ended and the show resumed. It was getting intense at this point. The stalker had begun to spend her threatening voicemails. If Chad had tried calling me then I would have trolled him so hard. I felt Jeff tense up when he heard the things that were recorded on the voicemail. It was so funny. A killer was getting scared watching a TV show. He had killed so many people in the most violent ways but a story of someone being stalked got to him. If I could talk I would have taunted him but I still had to rest my voice. Instead, I nudged him in the ribs with my elbow and smirked.

He gave me a look that said, ‘piss off’. I just laughed. It wasn’t as loud as it normally would have been and it hurt my throat but I didn’t care. Things were finally going back to normal. We were all sitting together and watching TV. The atmosphere had turned lighter when I laughed. I saw that BEN and Smile were looking at me, both with confused looks but they seemed pleased that I was finally smiling again. It felt good to smile. I almost forgot what it felt like.

After my small laughing fit subsided I relaxed against the sofa and went back to watching the show. One of the reasons I liked it so much was because of the criminal phycologist they had on the show explaining what was going through the minds of the stalkers. I had always been interested in psychology and when I reached grade eleven, I was going to take the Intro to Psychology course my school offered. There was just something about it that interested me. Trying to figure out what went on in the minds of mentally unstable people. The human brain was so fascinating. 

As we watched the TV I felt Jeff scoot closer to me then wrap an arm around my shoulder. I blushed. I didn’t dare look at him. This was the first time he ever did something like this. I was so glad that BEN was facing the TV. He would give us shit if he saw us. I wanted to push him away because I didn’t want BEN to see us but I just couldn’t. I refused to admit it to myself but I did want this. I wanted to feel his arms around me. But I didn’t love him. Not like _that_. 

I just thought these feelings developed due to the experience I went through. I just wanted to feel the gentle, and loving touch of someone whom I trusted and who I loved. I still needed reassurance that I would be safe. That’s all this was. I felt my face heat up as I adjusted myself so that I was cuddled up against Jeff’s chest. My face had to be hotter than the sun at that point. I wouldn’t doubt it if Jeff could feel it through his hoodie.


	11. Chapter 11

When I woke up, I found myself in my room, tucked in bed. Jeff must have taken me to bed when I drifted off although I didn’t remember falling asleep. I slid a hand under my shirt and felt the gauze that covered my chest. I felt underneath and to my surprise, it wasn’t bleeding. Slowly but surely the wounds were closing up. Maybe in another day or two, I wouldn’t need to keep them covered with these annoying patches. Jeff would have recommended leaving them on for at least four days or more but I was healing fairly quickly. 

I looked around my room and didn’t see Jeff. I looked at my alarm clock and saw that it was almost 7:30. Jeff was an early riser so he must be in the kitchen cooking something for himself and Smile. BEN as far as I knew, didn’t eat as he didn’t need it to survive. He occasionally had a snack or two for the taste of it but he didn’t eat any more than that. 

I carefully sat up and scooted to the edge of the bed where I let my feet fall off the side. This would be my first attempt to get up without the help of Jeff. I knew he would be mad but I wanted to prove to him and myself that I could stand up on my own. I loved that he cared for me but I was an independent spirit. 

I took a deep breath and stood up. It hurt. My whole body hurt. The pain in between my legs had finally gone away and I hardly felt the bite on my neck but my torso was a different story... With one hand I braced against the headboard of my bed to keep my balance while my other hand pressed against the sorest spot on my chest. The pressure I applied helped only a little. It didn’t hurt as much as the first day but it was bad enough that I didn’t really want to move. 

Slowly I shifted my feet against the hardwood floor of my room and made it to the door. I leaned against it and took a few deep breaths. Just breathing caused me pain. The skin didn’t like being stretched out. I ignored the pain and turned the knob of the door and pushed it open. It was an older house and these doors were all original so it creaked as it opened. It made me pause. The whole main level was all open concept and the kitchen was only a few feet away. Jeff would most definitely have heard that.

I leaned forward and peeked in the kitchen. Jeff’s body was facing the stove but his head turned to face me. He looked shocked and confused. I laughed a little when I saw a spoon sticking out from his mouth. He looked down at the spoon and took it out of his mouth and chucked it in the sink. “What are you doing out of bed? Hold on, let me finish and I’ll help you back.”

“No need...” I croaked out. My voice still wasn’t back yet. This was driving me crazy. I just wanted to be able to speak again! I cleared my throat, despite how painful it was then stumbled over to the kitchen. As I did, Jeff quickly dropped what he was doing and rushed over to help me. One arm gently grabbed my elbow and the other snaked its way around my lower back. “I’m fine...”

“No, you aren’t. You are absolutely insane! You should be in bed!” He guided me back to my room but I resisted. I managed to push him away and somehow stand up on my own.

“I’m fine. I don’t want to stay in bed all day.” I cleared my throat before trying to speak again. This time I sounded a bit louder. “I know you want to look after me but I am getting better. I don’t need to be in bed all day.”

“You can’t deny that they are getting better Jeff.” I turned to where I heard BEN’s voice. He was slouching on the couch switching between channels. He didn’t even bother to look at us.

“...Okay fine... Just take it easy...” He finally gave in. I walked over to him, gently grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him down to my height so I could peck his cheek. This caused him to freeze. I thought that I had done something wrong but his aura was giving off pleasant vibes.

I giggled as I walked over to sit beside BEN. If he heard the kiss then he didn’t say anything about it. I hoped that he was finally getting tired of teasing Jeff and I. I knew Smile saw as he was wagging his tail and gave me a knowing look. I ignored it.

“Loverboy, your food is burning.” BEN’s words brought Jeff back to reality and I heard him rushing about to save his food. BEN and I exchanged looks before bursting out into laughter. 

The next few days continued with the peaceful and sometimes humorous atmosphere. I continued to get better and by Friday I could finally talk. My throat was still sore but I was no longer whispering which made me happy. It was so hard to communicate before. My cuts were healing too. The scabs completely covered the wounds and they no longer bled but I still had to be careful. A sudden movement could be enough to open them up again.

I sat on the sofa as the boys rushed about, cleaning up the house so my parents wouldn’t return to an absolute mess. I laughed as BEN and Jeff tried to figure out the proper way to clean the stove and sink with the cleaning products. The stove had to be cleaned a certain way because it was so old and there were too many cleaning products according to Jeff. He didn’t know which was meant for what and he was actually a bit afraid to use them because he didn’t want to ruin anything. I did offer to help but they said they could handle it. It was too funny to watch. They looked like they were trying to decode some ancient mystery when reading the labels. 

I turned my focus back to the TV and switched to the news again. The search for Chad was still going on. I still couldn’t believe he was actually liked by so many people. I just hoped that no one saw him enter my house that night. Sure it was a bit late and many people would have been getting ready for bed but it was still early enough for people to have still been wide awake. I still wasn’t sure how he got in because nothing was broken. I was sure I locked all the doors after I read the note that my parents were gone. Locking doors are the first thing I did. The only thing I could think of was that he somehow got a copy of the house key... That was a scary thought... I shook it from my mind. I couldn’t focus on this. He was dead and out of my life forever. I didn’t have to worry about him. I was safe.

I had to keep repeating to myself that I was safe and that he was gone. I still didn’t believe it even though I watched him die. It still didn’t feel real. None of this felt real. It felt like a bad dream that was going on for way too long. I just wanted to wake up. I wanted all of this to go away. I wanted to go into the forest with Jeff and BEN and do stupid teenager things like we used to. We used to run around playing tackle tag or soccer if I remembered to bring my ball. Other times we just sat on the rock and told stories. Sometimes I brought a book with a collection of scary stories. Many of them actually frightened Jeff and BEN but not me. 

I grew up ready creepy stories and I loved them. For some reason, my parents didn’t see anything wrong with me reading these stories with the creepiest looking pictures on the cover and even in the book. Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark was by far my favorite book series. I had all three of them. I even showed my parents my favorite pictures which scared them. It scared them so much in fact that they refused to read the books to me when I was younger. Strange how they let me read them on my own before bed but they did. I was definitely not the average little kid.

I switched to TLC and saw that our favorite show was going to start. I called over to Jeff who brought over two plates of food. I thanked him as I took my plate and ate the scrambled eggs. They were delicious. I loved his cooking. Together, the three of us, and Smile watched I Didn’t Know I Was Pregnant and we yelled at the screen at how obvious it was that they were pregnant. “You were craving chalk, fucking **CHALK** and that didn’t tip you off?” I called out. BEN laughed. Jeff joined in by calling her an idiot.

Things were starting to return to normal. For the first few days, I did have some flashbacks and some breakdowns but they had gotten less frequent. I was also smiling a lot more than before. BEN manipulated the picture on the TV to make the people look silly while Jeff told some inside jokes we came up with when we were kids. BEN wanted in but Jeff said that it was just for us to know. BEN, of course, being the prick that he was said that proved his point that Jeff and I were a couple. Again we denied this. He just shrugged it off and we watched TV for the rest of the day.

By nightfall, the three of them had to leave as my parents would be home before noon tomorrow. I hugged BEN and Smile goodbye and they vanished while Jeff remained. He turned to me. He was very close and with him being the giant he was, I had to look up to be able to see his face. “Are you sure you’ll be alright?”

“Of course. I’ll only be home alone for a few hours and now I can move mostly on my own.” He didn’t look convinced. I knew he wanted to stay but he couldn’t. We both knew that. He leaned down and kissed my forehead then left through the side door. I watched him go up the street as he made his way to the park. When he was out of sight I closed and locked the door. I then went around the whole house to make sure all the door and windows were locked. I did this twice. I almost went around for a third time but I heard creaking sounds coming from somewhere in the house. I froze but as I listened I realized it was just regular house sounds. 

I calmed down a little. I felt safer when the others were here but now I was on my own. Would I be able to handle one night home alone? If I got too scared I could always text Jeff. He promised to have his phone with him and on tonight so I could get a hold of him. He must still feel guilty for not being there for me that night... 

I went to my room as fast as I could, careful not to open any wounds and got into bed. For the past week, I was used to hearing the TV blasting from the other room every night. Now everything was quiet. Too quiet. I got out my phone and put on my music. I made sure that it would play all my songs on repeat and turned the volume up to a fairly loud setting. I needed the loudness. It made me feel less alone. 

I settled in bed and tried to fall asleep but I couldn’t. I was alone in this house and it was dark and I kept hearing strange sounds. Before Chad attacked me I never noticed the creaking from the walls and floor but now... Now they were all I could hear. I turned the music up even louder and closed my eyes. I tried thinking of my friends to distract me. I tried to think of happy memories but it didn’t work. Now that I was home alone my fear returned. I stayed in a constant state of fear until I finally passed out from exhaustion. 

The next morning when I woke up I just stayed in bed. I was in no hurry to get up. It was a Saturday morning. I had nothing to do. Why should I rush to get up? I needed to prepare myself mentally for Monday... It would approach quickly. I would need to deal with going back to school... My parents didn’t know what happened to me so I would need to act like everything was fine even though it wasn’t. It should be easy to integrate back into school. Nothing terrible happened there. I had no bad memories from there. I would be able to handle it. I just had to catch up on what I missed. It was the start of the school year so we still didn’t have much work in our classes. We were barely into the second month back. I didn’t need to worry. Everything would be okay.

My parents arrived home a bit before noon and I was still in bed. I had fallen asleep again when they arrived. They let me sleep. They must have assumed I was up late on the computer. When I woke up a few hours later my mom was taking her afternoon nap and my dad was nowhere to be seen. He must have gone to play golf. He liked to play a few games when he had the time which wasn’t very often. 

I grabbed some food then walked back to my room where I saw a very familiar face looking in my window. I smiled and went over to unlock it. I opened it and Jeff jumped inside and moved away from the window to avoid being seen. “You do realize it was really risky for you to come at this hour, right?”

“Yeah I know but I wanted to make sure you were doing alright. Do you need anything?” He asked as he approached me. I felt a blush spread across my face when he got close. 

“N-No. I’m alright. You just worry too much.” I cleared my throat and backed away. Jeff seemed suspicious of my actions but didn’t question them. 

“You should rest.” He didn’t even give me time to respond before he guided me to my bed where he sat me down. I pouted slightly. This was starting to get old. I was perfectly fine. Sure, I was still a little messed up as one would expect but I was getting better. “Do you need anything? I can go to the store and get you some candy or something or maybe I can go get you your favorite lunch at-” I cut him off before he could finish. 

I pressed my lips against his. His were cracked and rough from the scarring that was left by the bleach and fire. The skin was tight and a bit cold since he had just come from outside where the temperature was in the single digits. He was in such shock that he didn’t kiss back. I felt him tense the moment I planted my lips on his. He didn’t know what to do so he just stood there. I pulled away after a few seconds but kept our faces close together. I felt his breaths against my face. “You talk too much...” I said with a small smile.

I didn’t expect Jeff to suddenly pounce on me. I was knocked down on my bed pinned underneath him. His lips were pressed firmly against mine in a passionate kiss. My face must have been a deep red as I felt my cheeks burn. The kiss didn’t last as long as I hoped for. I whined under my breath when he pulled away which caused him to chuckle. “I thought you said you weren’t interested in me.”

“I panicked. BEN was embarrassing me and that wasn’t how I planned to tell you...” I admitted. I did have feelings for Jeff for some time now but was in severe denial. I didn’t want to admit I liked him because that would have lead to me telling him and us possibly ending up together but I knew we couldn’t. I couldn’t live a normal life with him. We couldn’t make a relationship work. It hurt to think about because I really did love him. I wasn’t sure if I wanted kids in the future but if I did then they would be burdened with a secret if Jeff was the father. “Not only that... but we could never be together... Not properly...” It hurt to say it out loud more than it did to think it.

I could feel Jeff tense. He and I both knew this was true but still weren’t ready to accept it. I gripped his hoodie when I felt him about to get up. I didn’t want him to leave. Not yet. When I was sure he wasn’t going anywhere, I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him into a hug. 

“No matter what, I will always love you, Jeff.”

“I love you too.”

We stayed like that for a long time. We just held each other. Neither of us wanted to move but eventually, he got up and pulled me up into a sitting position. He kissed me again. This time it was gentle. I loved the feeling of his lips against mine. I wanted this to last forever but it was not to be. He pulled away from the kiss, told me he loved me again then left through my window. I watched as he took off back to the park. My chest tightened and my heart felt heavy. I didn’t know the next time I would see him. If Slenderman found out about our conversation then he would do everything he could to keep us apart. The last thing we needed was a distraction.

I looked out my window for a long time. It could have been hours. This love was dangerous. It could cost us both of our lives if we weren’t careful.


End file.
